Tennis player Carlos Alcaraz from Spain is one step closer to clinching his third title at the Barcelona Open, after advancing to the quarterfinals in the current ATP 500 event. Alcaraz defeated Laslo Djere with a score of 6-2, 6-4 in windy conditions, extending his winning streak to seven after winning the title in Monte Carlo last week. Alcaraz expressed his strategy of conserving energy for upcoming matches despite winning in straight sets. Although trailing 2-4 in the second set, Alcaraz quickly bounced back, breaking Djere’s serve to win the match with increased aggression from the baseline.
Djere’s double fault at 0/40 allowed Alcaraz to break back. The home favorite capitalized on the momentum to secure four consecutive games and seal the victory in 71 minutes. Alcaraz mentioned his satisfaction with his performance and his determination to maintain his high level of play in future matches. With a record of 27 wins and 1 loss on Spanish clay courts since the beginning of the 2022 season, including a perfect 12-0 in Barcelona, Alcaraz is set to face the fifth seed Alex de Minaur or lucky loser Jacob Fearnley next.
In another match at the 2025 Barcelona Open, Spanish player Alejandro Davidovich Fokina progressed to the quarterfinals by claiming his first victory against the eighth-ranked player in the world, Andrey Rublev. After five consecutive defeats in their head-to-head matchups, Fokina defeated the fourth seed 7-5, 6-4 to secure his third top 10 win of the season. Davidovich Fokina joined Alcaraz and De Minaur as the third player to reach 20 tour-level wins this year.
The 25-year-old player only had 18 tour-level wins throughout the entire 2024 season. Currently ranking eighth in the ATP Live Race To Turin, Davidovich Fokina is set to face Karen Khachanov next. Khachanov, a 28-year-old player, reached his 60th tour-level quarterfinal, the first of this season, with a 7-5, 6-4 victory against Jaume Munar. Having reached his first Barcelona quarterfinal in 2017, Khachanov now holds the longest gap between quarterfinal appearances in the Spanish tournament.
