Carlos Alcaraz, the rising star of Spanish tennis, delivered a commanding performance to secure his place in the quarterfinals of the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell. The 20-year-old phenom overpowered Serbia’s Laslo Djere with a 6-2, 6-4 victory on Thursday, wrapping up the match in just 71 minutes.
With his sights set on defending his title from last year, Alcaraz dazzled the home crowd with his dynamic play. “I feel great on the court and excited to keep pushing forward,” he shared after the match.
Up next, Alcaraz will face Australia’s Alex De Minaur, the tournament’s fifth seed, who breezed past Britain’s Jacob Fearnley 6-1, 6-2. Their clash promises to be a thrilling encounter between two of the sport’s most energetic players.
In other action, Russian powerhouse Karen Khachanov edged out Spain’s Jaume Munar 7-5, 6-4. Khachanov will take on Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, another Spanish hopeful, who pulled off an impressive upset by defeating Russia’s No. 4 seed Andrey Rublev 7-5, 6-4. Davidovich Fokina showcased resilience by saving eight of 11 break points.
Meanwhile, at the BMW Open in Munich, Belgium’s David Goffin staged a stunning comeback. After losing the first set 0-6 to Argentina’s Mariano Navone, Goffin rallied to take the next two sets 7-5, 6-1. “I just kept fighting and believed I could turn it around,” Goffin said.
Goffin advances to face Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo, the fifth seed, who confidently defeated Kazakhstan’s Alexander Shevchenko 6-3, 6-2.
The quarterfinals will also feature Belgium’s Zizou Bergs and Hungary’s Fabian Marozsan. Bergs dominated 17-year-old German Diego Dedura-Palomero 6-1, 6-1 in a swift match lasting just over an hour, while Marozsan continued his impressive run by eliminating France’s No. 4 seed Ugo Humbert 6-4, 6-4.
Tennis fans can look forward to an exciting lineup of matches as these talented players vie for the titles in Barcelona and Munich.
