Carlos Alcaraz powered into the last 16 of the Italian Open on Sunday, joining defending champion Alexander Zverev after a gritty 7-6 (7-2), 6-2 win over Laslo Djere on center court.
The four-time Grand Slam winner reached the fourth round at the Foro Italico for the first time, overcoming a spirited challenge from Djere, a three-time clay-court titlist who claimed his most recent title in Santiago in March.
Still working his way back from a thigh injury sustained during last month’s Barcelona Open final, Alcaraz showed flashes of brilliance despite not being at full strength.
Up next for the Spaniard is Karen Khachanov, who swept aside Italian wild-card entrant Francesco Passaro 6-3, 6-0.
The 22-year-old was broken twice in the first set, which looked like it could go either way until he took control in the tiebreak before easing through the second.
Zverev, meanwhile, barely broke a sweat against Lithuanian qualifier Vilius Gaubas, cruising to a 6-4, 6-0 win to set up a last-16 clash with France’s Arthur Fils.
The world No. 2 took 1 hour, 26 minutes to see off Gaubas, suggesting the burnout he said he was experiencing earlier in the year might be behind him.
Zverev is hoping a strong title defense in Rome will set him up to go one better than last year at the French Open and finally lift the trophy.
But he’ll face a much tougher test against Fils, who stunned Stefanos Tsitsipas 2-6, 6-4, 6-2, than the one Gaubas posed.
It was also a good day for French players, as world No. 83 Corentin Moutet shocked Holger Rune 7-5, 5-7, 7-6 (7-4) to claim his first win over a top-10 opponent. He next faces No. 5 seed Jack Draper.
Daniil Medvedev will meet home favorite Lorenzo Musetti after making no mistakes against Alexei Popyrin, winning 6-4, 6-1.
Aryna Sabalenka battled past former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin to set up a meeting with Marta Kostyuk, who defeated Leylah Fernandez 6-4, 6-2.
World No. 1 Sabalenka has now reached the final in her last four tournaments, winning titles in Miami and Madrid, and enters the business end at the Foro Italico as the favorite despite Sunday’s inconsistent showing.
Last year’s runner-up struggled in the opening set, frequently misfiring on her backhand and appearing to complain about the center court surface.
“I was completely off, and I’m really glad I was able to cool myself down and... start focusing on the game and the right things,” Sabalenka told reporters.
The Belarusian has a strong chance to claim her third WTA 1000 title of the season after three-time winner Iga Swiatek was upset by Danielle Collins on Saturday.
“She’s facing really tough challenges, I believe, on and off the court,” Sabalenka said of Swiatek. “Maybe she needs some time off, and then she’s going to get back on top of her game because the level is there. She’s a champion.”
One of Sabalenka’s top rivals, Coco Gauff, also advanced, beating Magda Linette 7-5, 6-3. Gauff is expected to face Emma Raducanu in the next round.
