Carlos Alcaraz was forced to go the distance to continue his title defence at the Rio Open with a three-set victory over Fabio Fognini.
In what was a rematch of the 2022 semi-final, Alcaraz came from a set down for a 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-4 victory over the Italian, setting up a semi-final date with Dusan Lajovic.
A marathon 64-minute opener saw Alcaraz with a 3-0 lead, but Fognini produced a vintage performance to recover and force a tiebreak which he won with a series of impressive shots.
But with the threat of being de-throned growing, Alcaraz quickly found a rhythm which he was able to maintain to seal the match.
‘’It was really tough. Both Fabio and I played such a high level, great points, great shots," Alcaraz said after the match.
"It's amazing to play these kinds of matches. I would say both players played almost our 100 per cent.’’
Despite a convincing comeback and overall performance, the teen admitted to struggling with his serve in the first set which had an impact on him mentally.
"I struggled with my serve a little bit. I was up with a lot of control of the match. But a lot of breaks of serve in a row," he continued.
"I got a little bit down in that moment, and it was tough to come back after that. But I know that a tennis match is really long. I was going to have my chances to improve the game on my serve, and I think I did.’’
After winning the Argentina Open last week, Alcaraz has the chance to draw level with world No. 1 Novak Djokovic on points if he is able to defend his title in Rio.
Alcaraz was kicked off the top spot after Djokovic won the Australian Open last month, with the Spaniard being unable to compete in Australia due to a hamstring injury.
Despite drawing level Alcaraz would remain second in the rankings due to the fact the Serb has more points from the ATP Finals, Grand Slams, and ATP Masters 1000s, however, it would close the gap and put the No. 1 ranking within his grasp once again.
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