2023 Rio Open: Carlos Alcaraz Rallies Into Quarterfinals After Nail-Biting Win Over Fabio Fognini

World quantity two Carlos Alcaraz beat 86th-ranked Fabio Fognini of Italy in a thriller on Thursday to advance to the quarterfinals of the ATP Rio Open.

The 19-year-old Spanish phenom battled again after shedding the primary set, happening to win 6-7 (5-7), 6-2, 6-4.

“It’s a problem going through a participant like Fabio. He’s an excellent participant with a number of expertise,” Alcaraz said after the dramatic clay court duel.

“You never know what he might have in store for you.”

Fognini, a 35-year-old veteran with 9 singles titles, went down 3-0 to the defending champion within the opening set, earlier than battling again with a string of masterful rallies.

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He broke Alcaraz’s serve to equalize at 5-5, then gained the set in a tie-breaker.

But Alcaraz roared again within the second, going up 4-0, and carried his momentum by the ultimate set to take the match.

The dramatic show had the group on the stadium courtroom fired up.

“You energized each Fabio and me from the beginning, thanks a lot,” Alcaraz told the fans.

“We played a great match. I’m very happy I managed to win.”

Alcaraz will face Dusan Lajovic within the quarterfinals on Friday. The Eightieth-ranked Lajovic beat 57th-ranked Laslo Djere 6-2, 6-4 in an all-Serbian showdown.

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Alcaraz, who returned final week from a four-month damage break, is trying to rekindle the magic he unleashed final yr in Brazil.

Then, he gained the Rio Open on his solution to racking up 5 titles, together with the US Open, and changing into the youngest-ever world primary within the ATP rankings — a spot he has now misplaced to Novak Djokovic after fighting accidents.

Alcaraz opened his title protection in Rio by successful a tougher-than-expected, rain-delayed match towards 556th-ranked Mateus Alves of Brazil Wednesday.

He made his 2023 debut final week by successful his seventh profession ATP title on the Argentina Open.

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