PARIS – World number one Carlos Alcaraz swept aside Grigor Dimitrov 6-1 6-3 to book his place in the Paris Masters quarter-finals and reigning champion Novak Djokovic advanced with a 6-4 6-1 win over Karen Khachanov.
Top seed Alcaraz dominated from the outset and dropped just two points on serve in the opening set before fending off a second-set fightback from Bulgarian Dimitrov to close out the match in one hour 12 minutes.
“I started playing pretty well,” said Alcaraz after the match. “[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 in that moment and show my best to not allow him to go up.”
In a near-flawless opening, Alcaraz’s all-around game left the former World No. 3 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.
Dimitrov found his feet to reel off three straight games from 0-3 to draw level in the second set before carving out two break point opportunities for a 4-3 lead, but Alcaraz’s relentless consistency proved crucial.
He held off the Bulgarian’s charge to advance to the quarter-finals for the first time in Paris, where he will take on seventh seed Andrey Rublev or Holger Rune.
“In that moment you have to stay calm, to think [about] what is happening and after that try to change a little bit,” said Alcaraz, when asked about Dimitrov’s second-set comeback. “I [made] a couple of mistakes at the beginning of the match, but after that I stayed calm.”
“It’s such a pleasure,” said Alcaraz. “It’s tough to bring them to tournaments, and to have them in the box during the week is so special. Of course, taking the trophy for No. 1 in front of them was so special for me.”
Djokovic, a six-times winner at the ATP Masters 1000 event, delivered a commanding performance in his straight-sets victory over Russia’s Khachanov, hitting 18 winners.
“Khachanov is someone I know really well,” said Djokovic after the match. “We train [together] a lot, and we played almost 10 times against each other on different surfaces… He beat me four years ago in the final, so I know he likes this surface, he likes these conditions.
“The first [set] was quite even, I had my chances, he had a break, and he was hanging on and I broke his serve in the 10th game of the first set and I think after that the momentum shifted. In the second set I was a different player. I think I stepped it up even more, served better, and I’m just really pleased with the way I finished.”
The sixth-seeded Djokovic appeared in a confident mood after his opening win against Maxime Cressy but he was initially pegged back by Khachanov, who recovered an early 0-3 deficit to draw level in the opening set.
The World No. 19 had little joy against the free-flowing Djokovic from that point on, however, as the Serbian converted four of eight break points and struck 17 winners to wrap an 87-minute win.
Djokovic’s 11-match winning streak has included title runs in Tel Aviv and Astana, and the Serbian will seek to maintain his good European indoor hard-court form as he chases a record-extending seventh title in Paris and a record-equalling sixth crown at the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin in two weeks’ time.
A title run in the French capital would also earn the 35-year-old a record-extending 39th Masters 1000 crown overall. His quarter-final opponent in Paris will be Lorenzo Musetti, who upset third seed Casper Ruud 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.
“He’s definitely a much-improved player on [hard courts],” said Djokovic of Musetti, who clinched his maiden tour-level trophy on the surface in October in Naples. “He has had some big wins this week, his first title a few weeks ago on [hard courts].
“He’s so talented; he’s got everything in his game. He can play in the court, he can defend well, he’s got great movement, but I know his game well and I’m looking forward to a good challenge.”
