Alcaraz into Barcelona semis as defending champion Ruud exits / Photo: Valery HACHE - AFP/File
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Alcaraz into Barcelona semis as defending champion Ruud exits
Carlos Alcaraz battled into the semi-finals of the Barcelona Open on Friday with a 7-5, 6-3 win over Alex de Minaur after Casper Ruud's title defence was ended by Holger Rune.
Top seed Alcaraz twice fell a break down but recovered to win the opening set in a match-up of the two players with the most wins on tour this season.
Alcaraz, chasing a third Barcelona title in four years after missing the last edition due to injury, broke for a 4-2 lead in the second set before closing out the victory.
"It was really tight the first set," said Alcaraz. "I'm glad that I ended up winning it. In the second set I just played great tennis."
Alcaraz will face four-time runner-up Stefanos Tsitsipas or French rising star Arthur Fils for a place in the final. The Spanish world number two beat Fils in three sets last week on his run to the Monte Carlo title.
Reigning French Open champion Alcaraz is 20-1 on clay since May of last year and has won 13 straight matches in Barcelona.
Norwegian Ruud lost 6-4, 6-2 to Rune as he suffered just a second defeat in eight meetings with the Danish player.
World number 13 Rune broke second seed Ruud twice in each set to line up a semi-final against Karen Khachanov, who overcame Spain's Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-4, 7-5.
K.Hill--AT