Carlos Alcaraz served up some surprising comments after his defeat against Jack Draper at Indian Wells in March and it seems he learned from that experience as he got his revenge on the Brit to secure a 6-4, 6-4 win to reach the semi-finals of the Italian Open in Rome.
Alcaraz rallied from 2-4 to win the first set Campo Centrale and let slip an early break lead in the second, but he roared back to beat Draper on a day when the Brit was not at his best physically.
The win allowed Alcaraz to extend his winning record against Draper to 4-2, as he suggested his change of mindset was crucial to the win.
Alcaraz suggested he didn’t sleep before his last match against Draper and admitted he was more worried about his opponent’s game than his own in that match, but he appeared to have a different approach in their latest contest.
“The most important thing I did today was not thinking about the results at all, if I was up or if I was down,” said Alcaraz.
“I just tried to do the things that make me happy, playing aggressive, making drop shots to the net, things I like to do on the court. That made the difference today.
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“I played with such high rhythm in the whole match, I didn’t let him dominate or stay long in the rallies. It was a really good weapon for me.
“I’m just playing great tennis on clay. I started the clay season really well. I got injured after Barcelona, but I’m happy to feel in a good rhythm playing good tennis again on clay. This match gave me a lot of confidence.”
While Alcaraz deserved his victory, it was clear that Draper was giving him real concerns once again as they met on a clay court for the first time.
French Open champion Alcaraz is a fearsome opponent for most of his rivals on this surface, but Draper can take a lot of confidence from the challenge he put up to the young Spaniard as their growing rivalry had another chapter added.
“It was an interesting match that ebbed and flowed without either team playing well at the same time. There was flashes of brilliance from both players,” former British No 1 Laura Robson told Sky Sports Tennis.
“Jack got a good start but lose a bit of intensity with his footwork. They tried to figure each other out but, in the big moments, it just felt like Carlos was the fresher.
“It was very close, the scoreline doesn’t tell the full story of the match, but it was a match where Jack will feel he maybe could have edged the key moments.”
The win for Alcaraz ensured he will rise to No 2 in the ATP Rankings next week and that could be significant as it would mean he avoids a meeting with Jannik Sinner prior to the final at the French Open, which gets underway later this month.
The defeat for Draper left him just behind Taylor Fritz in the battle for the No 4 spot in the ATP Rankings, with the Brit likely to overtake his American rival if he takes his current form onto the clay courts at Roland Garros.
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