Carreno Busta leads Spanish dominance as wonderkid Alcaraz shines again
Carlos Alcaraz became the youngest ATP semi-finalist since 2014 as Pablo Carreno Busta stayed on course for glory in Marbella
AI / Reuters / Panoramic
Top seed Pablo Carreno Busta led a clean sweep for home players to head up an all-Spanish semi-final slate at the Andalucia Open, where teenage sensation Carlos Alcaraz made history.
- Andalucia Open: Draw | Order of Play | News
- Sardegna Open: Draw | Order of Play | News
Carreno Busta to take on Ramos-Vinolas in semi-finals
Carreno Busta demolished seventh seed Soonwoo Kwon 6-4, 6-0, while Casper Ruud was stunned in straight sets by wildcard Alcaraz.
The 17-year-old backed up his victory over the veteran Feliciano Lopez in style, becoming the youngest ATP Tour semi-finalist since Alexander Zverev at Hamburg in 2014 with a 6-2, 6-4 win.
Albert Ramos-Vinolas will face Carreno Busta after beating Norbert Gombos 6-7 (4-7), 7-5, 6-4, while Alcarez is next on the agenda for compatriot Jaume Munar, who was taken the distance by Ilya Ivashka, after having overcome second seed Fabio Fognini on Thursday.
What a performance from @alcarazcarlos03!
The 17-year-old is into his first ATP Tour semi-final by defeating No. 3 seed Casper Ruud 6-2, 6-4 at the @AndaluciaOpen. pic.twitter.com/FeZgYJ4Ts1
— ATP Tour (@atptour) April 9, 2021
Fritz making waves in Sardegna
Taylor Fritz continued his solid form this season with a straight-sets victory over Aljaz Bedene to reach the semi-finals of Sardegna Open.
Fritz is playing as the US No 1 for the first time in Cagliari this week and he made light work of Bedene, prevailing 6-3, 6-4 to book a showdown with third seed Lorenzo Sonego, who beat Yannick Hanfmann 3-6, 7-6 (8-6), 6-3 despite being 3-5 down in the second.
Seeded second and ranked 30 in the world, Fritz improved his 2021 record to 11-5 and will look to avenge a defeat in his only other meeting with Sonego on clay, when he lost at Roland-Garros last year.
This replay angle though 😍#SardegnaOpen pic.twitter.com/dLf3zqCoqV
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) April 9, 2021
Lorenzo Musetti thrilled as he saved four match points to sink top seed Dan Evans on Thursday but bowed out after another epic, losing to Serbia’s Laslo Djere 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 in two hours and 21 minutes.
Djere, who beat sixth seen John Millman en route to the quarter-finals, will face Nikoloz Basilashvili after the battle between seeds four and five ended 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 in the Georgian’s favour.
