Champion Alexander Zverev and world number one Aryna Sabalenka suffered unexpected defeats in the quarter-finals of the Italian Open on Wednesday, while Carlos Alcaraz overcame Britain’s Jack Draper 6-4 6-4 to reach the semi-finals for the first time at the claycourt event.
Women’s world number one Sabalenka was defeated 6-4 6-3 by Zheng Qinwen, and Zverev’s title defence concluded with a 7-6(1) 6-4 loss to Italian favorite Lorenzo Musetti.
Chinese eighth seed Zheng will now face Coco Gauff for a coveted spot in the final.
Fueled by enthusiastic support from the home crowd, Musetti effectively countered Zverev from the baseline.
“It was a great advantage all this week, the support from the crowd,” he acknowledged in an on-court interview.
“It was part of the strategy to make things complicated for Sasha (Zverev). He’s such a good hitter but he’s a little far behind the baseline.”
Musetti’s next opponent will be third seed Alcaraz.
Four-time Grand Slam champion Alcaraz, who is preparing to defend his French Open title later this month, delivered a strong performance with 24 winners to secure his victory.
“The most important thing that I did today was not thinking about the results at all. Not thinking about if I was up, if I was down. Just trying to do the things that make me happy,” Alcaraz explained.
“I didn’t let him dominate or stay long in the rallies. So I think that was a really good weapon today for me. I’m just really proud about the way that I approached the match.”
Norwegian Casper Ruud defeated Jaume Munar 6-3 6-4, setting up a quarter-final encounter with world number one Jannik Sinner.
GAUFF DEFEATS ANDREEVA
In the women’s singles, seventh seed Zheng finally broke her losing streak against Sabalenka, securing a victory in their seventh encounter.
Sabalenka’s frustration boiled over as she directed an obscenity at a spectator, resulting in a code violation.
Zheng served four aces en route to setting up a showdown with Gauff.
“I don’t know why I just play good in Italy. Thanks to the fans who came to support me here. Grazie,” Zheng expressed.
World number three Gauff overcame the challenge of seventh seed Mirra Andreeva with a 6-4 7-6(5) victory, advancing to the semi-finals for the second consecutive year.
Gauff has dropped only one set in her five matches at the tournament thus far.
“At the end, my defence, it was tough. We were both tight in the tiebreaker, it was whoever could make the last ball,” said Gauff, who has now reached the semi-finals in Rome on three occasions.
Gauff entered the match with a 3-0 head-to-head advantage over Andreeva, and the first set saw the American dominate proceedings.
Gauff faced a tougher challenge in the second set as Andreeva regained her focus and secured a break for a 3-2 lead. However, the American, a relative veteran at 21 compared to her 18-year-old opponent, utilized the variety in her game to stay competitive and force a tiebreaker.
The teenager struggled to match Gauff’s level in the tiebreaker and conceded the match with a backhand that sailed long.
