Alcaraz beats chaotic Djere, England’s Fearnley goes home; Italian Jasmine knocks lowly match Niemeier out

Carlos Alcaraz overcame a second set wobble to defeat Laslo Djere 6-2, 6-4 on Thursday and reach the Barcelona Open quarter-finals.

The world number two stepped up a gear from his first round win over Ethan Quinn to dispatch his 80th-ranked opponent on the Catalan clay as he prepares for his French Open title defence.

Alcaraz, who triumphed at the Monte Carlo Masters last week, has had an inconsistent start to the year and in March fell at the first hurdle in the Miami Open.

Home favourite Alcaraz saved both break points he faced in a first set stroll, with Djere unable to produce a single winner, to the Spaniard’s eight.

The four-time Grand Slam winner won five games straight to claim a 5-1 first set lead and sealed it with his second set point.

In the second set Djere offered more of a fight and even broke for a 4-2 lead, but Alcaraz bounced back quickly.

Djere could not handle the Spaniard in full flow and crumbled away as Alcaraz won the final four games to triumph, sealing his win when the Serb pushed a shot into the net.

“After going 4-2 down in the second, I played a bit more like what my level is,” said Alcaraz.

“I am very happy that I could step up my level, and seem more like my best and I want to continue.”

Alcaraz will face world number seven Alex de Minaur, who defeated Briton Jacob Fearnley, in the quarter-finals on Friday.

Earlier, in-form Alejandro Davidovich Fokina defeated world number eight Andrey Rublev 7-5, 6-4.

The Spaniard, ranked 30th, had never beaten the Russian before but triumphed at the sixth time of asking in straight sets.

Monte Carlo Masters semi-finalist Davidovich Fokina broke three times in a topsy-turvy first set, with Rublev twice reacting before the Malaga native held to love in the 12th game.

Rublev went a break down in the first game of the second set, but despite securing one of his own for 2-2, he was once again broken as Davidovich Fokina took a 5-4 lead and then served out for the match, again to love.

Spain’s Jaume Munar came up short against Karen Khachanov, who also won 7-5, 6-4, and will face Davidovich Fokina in the next round.

The Russian, who trains in Barcelona, only converted four of 15 break points but eventually put the battling Munar to bed.

Meanwhile, in-form teenager Mirra Andreeva crashed out of the WTA event in Stuttgart on Thursday after going down in straight sets to fellow Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova in the last 16.

World number seven Andreeva, who already has two titles under her belt this season, lost 6-3, 6-2 against the 22nd-ranked Alexandrova in just over an hour.

The 17-year-old Andreeva had defeated her elder sister Erika in the previous round on Wednesday but Alexandrova quickly took control as she claimed her fourth win over a top-10 player this season.

In February, the 17-year-old Andreeva became the youngest winner of a WTA 1000 event in Dubai, beating Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina on her way to the crown.

She backed it up by winning at Indian Wells in March, coming from a set down to defeat world number one Aryna Sabalenka in the final.

Italian fifth seed Jasmine Paolini beat German Jule Niemeier 6-1, 7-5 to reach the Stuttgart quarters for the second straight year on Thursday.

“I’m doing what I love, I think just be happy about it, try your best and enjoy,” said Paolini.

“That’s the key for me to play better. When I’m sad and complaining, I’m not that good.”

Third-ranked Jessica Pegula will meet Alexandrova in the quarter-finals after beating Poland’s Magdalena Frech in the last 16.

Paolini will play Coco Gauff, who defeated German Ella Seidel.

Sabalenka has already qualified for the quarter-finals after her opponent Anastasia Potapova pulled out of their last 16 clash with injury.

World number two Swiatek, a two-time winner in Stuttgart, has also reached the last eight.

Agencies