ATP
Alcaraz escapes mid-match slump to advance
Carlos Alcaraz had to battle his way out of a lull in form as the Spaniard’s title defence at the Monte Carlo Masters hit a temporary speed bump on Thursday.
The world No. 1 who is engaged in a rankings dogfight with Jannik Sinner managed to pull together a 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 comeback to reach the quarter-finals at the expense of Tomas Etcheverry.
The pair first played as teenagers six years ago at the Challenger level, with top seed Alcaraz impressed by the game of his dangerous opponent.
Alcaraz posted his 19th victory of the season, firing nearly 50 unforced errors as he lost his touch midway through.
“Tomas showed how difficult it is to beat him on clay – he’s a fighter,” the winner said.
“In the first set I was paying 10 out of 10 but in the second he started to play better and I didn’t take my break chances in the second game.”
Alcaraz faces a first-time meeting with Kazakh Alexander Bublik on Friday,