PARIS: World No.1 Carlos Alcaraz won nine of the first 10 games to register a 6-1, 6-3 third-round victory over Grigor Dimitrov and reach the quarterfinals at the Paris Masters, here on Thursday.
Alcaraz was dialled-in from the start in his maiden ATP head-to-head meeting with the former World No.3 Dimitrov. Striking the ball cleanly off both wings from the baseline and deploying his drop shot to good effect throughout, the Spaniard converted five of seven break points against the Bulgarian's serve to wrap up an impressive 72-minute win.
"I started playing pretty well. [Grigor's] level is very much not the level you saw today, but I played very well. At the end of the second set, it was tougher for me, he came back, he raised the level and obviously it was tough. He had the chance to go up in the second set, I had to stay calm at that moment and show my best to not allow him to go up," said Alcaraz after the match.
In a near-flawless opening, Alcaraz's all-around game left Dimitrov with few chances to counter. The Spaniard dropped just two points behind serve in the first set as he picked up where he had left off in his straight-sets second-round win against Yoshihito Nishioka.
Italy's Lorenzo Musetti earned his first Top five win owhen he upset World No.4 Casper Ruud 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 to reach the quarterfinals.
The 20-year-old played with confidence throughout the two-hour, 19-minute clash in the French capital, striking 37 winners as he pulled the Norwegian from corner to corner to reach his maiden ATP Masters 1000 quarterfinal.
"I am really happy. I think we played a great match until the end. A lot of remarkable shots from his side. He was playing really well and I had to play my best tennis to beat him. I am really happy that all the hard work I am doing keeps improving me. I am really proud of this win," Musetti said.
The 8th seed Felix Auger Aliassime beat Gilles Simon 6-1, 6-3 to reach the last eight stage. Agencies
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