Sinner and Alcaraz's Rare Quarterfinals

ROME, TUESDAY – Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz hold Grand Slam titles, ATP Masters 1000 tournament victories, and are ranked as the number one men's singles tennis players in the world. However, the quarterfinals of the Rome Masters represent a rare moment for them.

This phase will be undertaken by Alcaraz at Foro Italico, Rome, Italy, on Wednesday (14/5/2025) afternoon local time or evening Indonesia time, against Jack Draper. Sinner was also scheduled to compete in the quarter-finals on the same day; however, his prospective opponent must first complete the fourth round on Wednesday. The match between Jaime Munar and Casper Ruud was postponed from Tuesday due to rain. Sinner will also compete in the quarter-finals on Thursday.

Sinner has three Grand Slam titles and four ATP Masters 1000 titles. At the Rome Masters, an ATP Masters 1000 tournament in his home country, he made his debut in 2019, two years earlier than his appearances in the other eight Masters 1000 events. However, the world number one has only reached the quarter-finals once, which was in 2022, before achieving it again this year. At that time, his progress was halted by Stefanos Tsitsipas.

The quarterfinal ticket this time was obtained after facing the toughest challenge upon returning to the competition, following a three-month suspension due to doping. He defeated Francisco Cerundolo 7-6 (2), 6-3 in the fourth round on Tuesday. Cerundolo is the player who defeated Sinner in the fourth round of the 2023 Rome Masters, before Sinner was absent the following year due to a hip injury.

Sinner was able to avenge that defeat after competing in a match that was no less intense than two years ago, although this time he won in two sets. The first set lasted one hour and 17 minutes out of a total match time of two hours and 17 minutes. The duration of this match was only 11 minutes faster than Alcaraz's victory over Karen Khachanov, which took place over three sets, 6-3, 3-6, 7-5.

"Francis is a very tough competitor, of course, that presents a significant challenge for me. Moreover, I am still trying to readjust to facing difficult situations. I am striving to endure and elevate my level of play. Ultimately, that was successful, also thanks to the support of the audience," Sinner stated on the official ATP website.

The challenges will be no less daunting in the quarter-finals, regardless of the opponent. Munar is a Spanish tennis player who is "familiar" with clay court tournaments such as the Rome Masters. If facing Ruud, Sinner will be up against the champion of the Madrid Masters, which took place two weeks prior to the Rome Masters.

Ruud's best performances also occurred on clay courts. His winning percentage in major tournaments, namely Grand Slam, Masters 1000, ATP Finals, and the Olympics on these slower surfaces is 74 percent. This is higher compared to a 59 percent win rate on hard courts and 42 percent on grass courts. In addition to winning the Madrid Masters, Ruud's best results on clay include being a finalist at the French Open Grand Slam in 2022 and 2023.

To compete in the quarter-finals, Sinner stated that he must be in fit condition as soon as possible after a tough match against Cerundolo. He should have an advantage as he has a day of rest before the quarter-finals.

Alcaraz also won a difficult challenge to advance to the quarter-finals. The match against Jack Draper will be Alcaraz's first quarter-final at the Rome Masters since the third round in 2023. Alcaraz's performance two years ago remains the only participation of the four-time Grand Slam champion in Rome.

Alcaraz showcased his best abilities at the right moment against Khachanov. After Khachanov won the second set, Alcaraz excelled in the crucial points during the third set. The second set won by Khachanov became the only set that the Russian player won out of five matches against Alcaraz.

"It feels incredible to win against a player who is very difficult to beat. The match was exhausting. There is no pain or injury, but I am fatigued," said Alcaraz, who completed the quarterfinals in all Masters 1000 tournaments with a victory over Khachanov.

The next match, against Draper, becomes a competition between two tennis players at the top of the Ranking List for Turin. This ranking is for the ATP Finals tournament, with points calculated solely from the ATP Tour events of the current year. Currently, Alcaraz holds the top position, followed by Draper in second place.

"Jack has been playing well this season. His level of play is high, so I must be prepared for the next tough battle," said Alcaraz.

Alcaraz and Draper have competed five times, with Draper winning their most recent encounter in the semifinals of the Indian Wells Masters in March. Alcaraz could extend his lead to three wins, or Draper could equalize the score to 3-3 in the quarterfinals in Rome. This will be their first meeting outside of hard courts.

In the women's competition at the same venue in the WTA 1000 level, one of the quarterfinals features Cori "Coco" Gauff against Mirra Andreeva. The match, scheduled for Wednesday, occurs just about a week after they competed in the quarterfinals of the WTA 1000 Madrid, which Coco won.

Coco also won in two other encounters in 2023 that took place at Grand Slam events, namely in the second round of the US Open and the French Open. Although she has always lost, Andreeva still has the opportunity to defeat Coco. In their three previous meetings, the Russian player has consistently performed well on clay courts.

At the ages of 21 and 18, Coco and Andreeva have become the youngest tennis players in the top ten of the world rankings. Coco, ranked third, and Andreeva (7) have emerged as the future stars from the same event, Wimbledon.

Coco reached the fourth round in 2019 during her debut in the main draw. One of the players she defeated was former world number one, Venus Williams, in the first round.

Andreeva made a surprise at Wimbledon 2023 as well, reaching the fourth round as a qualifying player. She eliminated the 2021 French Open champion, Barbora Krejcikova, in the second round before being stopped by Madison Keys in the fourth round.

In another quarterfinal, Zheng Qin Wen will attempt to secure her first victory against the world number one, Aryna Sabalenka. Zheng has lost all six matches against Sabalenka, including one in the final of the 2024 Australian Open. They have never competed on surfaces other than hard courts. (AFP)