After a complicated transition from clay to grass in the first round, Carlos Alcaraz, ranked No. 2 in the world, regained his usual solidity and defeated Czech Jiri Lehecka, ranked No. 36, 6-2, 6-3, thus advancing to the quarterfinals of the Queen’s Club tournament in London in what is his first foray at this stage on grass.
The 20-year-old Spaniard will face 26th-ranked Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov, who defeated Argentina’s Francisco Cerúndolo 6-3, 7-5, in the next round.
In the first round on Tuesday, Alcaraz struggled to overcome France’s Arthur Rinderknech, ranked 83rd, in a match that ended with a score of 4-6, 7-5, 7-6 (7/3).
Despite the battle, Alcaraz considered this victory a standout performance, as it was his first match of the season on grass.
However, on Thursday, his game was much more solid, and he achieved the victory in 1 hour and 25 minutes.
“I am very happy. I had a very solid match. I played my tennis and enjoyed myself. I’m very happy to have achieved my first qualification for the quarterfinals on grass. I’m going for the semifinals!,” declared the ATP number two.
Until now, Alcaraz had only played two ATP tournaments on grass: Wimbledon in 2021 (where he was eliminated in the second round) and in 2022 (where he was eliminated in the round of 16).
The new star of Spanish tennis has reached at least the semifinals in seven of the eight tournaments he has played this year, only being eliminated in the third round in Rome.
On the other hand, Argentine Diego Schwartzman, ranked 107th, was eliminated in the second round as he lost by a double 6-2 to Australian Alex De Miñaur, ranked 18th.
In summary, Carlos Alcaraz showed a solid performance in his second match on grass at the Queen’s Club tournament, advancing to the quarterfinals with a resounding victory. His goal now is to reach the semifinals and continue to demonstrate his talent on the professional circuit.