Carlos Alcaraz made a strong comeback at The Queen’s Club after a tough match against Arthur Rinderknech that went to a tie-break in the last set. Alcaraz showed his resilience by beating Jiri Lehecka, the runner-up in the 2022 Next Gen ATP Finals, 6-2, 6-3. This victory marked Alcaraz’s first appearance in the quarter-finals of a grass court tournament, specifically the Cinch Championships.
In another match at the Cinch Championships, Alex de Minaur showed his skills by beating Diego Schwartzman from Argentina with a convincing 6-2, 6-2 scoreline. De Minaur had already beaten Andy Murray in the first round and continued his impressive performance against Schwartzman. He controlled the match effectively, minimizing forehand and backhand errors and ultimately outplaying the 30-year-old in the baseline exchanges.
De Minaur’s next opponent will be Adrian Mannarino, who secured his 10th Top 10 title by beating Taylor Fritz 6-4, 7-6(7). That victory came just a week after Mannarino’s triumph over Daniil Medvedev in ‘s-Hertogenbosch.
At just 20 years old, Carlos Alcaraz had relatively limited experience on grass courts, with a 4-2 record on the tour. However, he is quickly adapting to the surface and showing his potential. Alcaraz secured victory in a quick hour and 25 minutes, setting up a highly anticipated match against former world number three Grigor Dimitrov. Dimitrov rounded off the day’s proceedings with a 6-3, 7-5 win over eighth seed Francisco Cerundolo.
Meanwhile, in an impressive 63-minute win, seventh seed Alex de Minaur booked his place in the quarter-finals, marking his 30th quarter-final at tournament level and sixth this season. The 24-year-old Australian had already won his first ATP 500 title in Acapulco in February, adding to his list of achievements.
However, his next opponent, who had already won his first tour-level title on grass in ‘s-Hertogenbosch in 2019, showed his skills with 29 winners and finally claimed victory on his fourth match point after an intense hour and 40 minutes in London. The 34-year-old will now seek his first ATP 500 semi-final when he faces de Minaur.