Jack Draper was beaten 6-4 6-4 by world number three Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter-finals of the Italian Open.
The British number one was looking to climb to fifth in the ATP rankings with a win, but he was ultimately undone in straight sets as Alcaraz saved six of the eight break points he faced to advance to the last four in Rome.
Draper was victorious the last time these two met, in the semi-finals at Indian Wells in March en route to the Englishman claiming his first Masters 1000 title, and he made a strong start this time, breaking serve to lead 4-2 in the first set thanks to an Alcaraz double fault.
After falling 5-4 behind following a poor game, he relinquished two opportunities to break back and save the set.
He initially looked to have recovered in the second and put pressure on Alcaraz’s serve, but he failed again to convert two break points in the penultimate game, handing his opponent the momentum.
“I think the most important thing was not thinking if I was up or down,” Alcaraz, who made 29 unforced errors in the match, said in an on-court interview afterwards.
“I was doing the things which make me happy on court, trying to play aggressive, hitting good shots, drop shots, going to the net.
“That’s what I like to do and that made the difference today. I played with such a high rhythm during the whole match and didn’t let him dominate in the rallies.
“It was a good weapon for me and I’m really proud how I approached the match.”
Draper, who was in search of a maiden clay title on the ATP tour, has looked tired in Rome, mentally as much as physically, with the defeat coming as a disappointment following last week’s run to the Madrid Open final.
Alcaraz, who now leads 4-2 in head-to-head between the pair, is a first-time semi-finalist in Rome and will play Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti or Germany’s Alexander Zverev in the last four.
