Carlos Alcaraz battled into the semifinals of the Barcelona Open on Friday with a 7-5, 6-3 win over Alex de Minaur after Casper Ruud’s title defense was ended by Holger Rune.
Top seed Alcaraz twice fell a break down but recovered to win the opening set in a match-up of the two players with the most wins on tour this season.
Alcaraz, chasing a third Barcelona title in four years after missing the last edition with injury, broke for a 4-2 lead in the second set before closing out the victory.
“I started quite badly with the serve, I was struggling a little bit mentally with (it),” said Alcaraz. “It was just the first few games with my serve, then I think I improved a lot. I calmed myself down and started to think positively again.”
“It was really tight the first set,” he added. “I’m glad that I ended up winning it. In the second set I just played great tennis.”
Reigning French Open champion Alcaraz is 20-1 on clay since May of last year and has won 13 straight matches in Barcelona.
Alcaraz will face French rising star Arthur Fils on Saturday for a place in the final.
The Spanish world number two beat Fils in three sets last week on his run to the Monte Carlo title.
Fils advanced when four-time Barcelona runner-up Stefanos Tsitsipas retired in the third game of their quarter-final.
The 20-year-old Fils was leading 2-0 when Tsitsipas took a medical timeout, returning to play five more points before walking to the net to shake hands with his rival.
“I think it’s his back, but I’m not really sure to be honest,” said Fils. “I was ready to battle for a few hours, because he is a champion and every time we play, we have tough matches. I wish him the best.”
Norwegian Ruud lost 6-4, 6-2 to Rune as he suffered just a second defeat in eight meetings with the Danish player.
World number 13 Rune broke second seed Ruud twice in each set to line up a semi-final against Karen Khachanov, who overcame Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-4, 7-5.
“It means a lot, it was a really good match today,” said Rune. “I played the right way and I’m very happy I was able to finish it.
“He made it difficult, he’s a great player. I think I played on my terms and I was really explosive, this is how I want to play.”
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