Following a scintillating performance, top seed Carlos Alcaraz advances into his 42nd tour-level quarterfinal, his first in Rotterdam, by taking out Italian qualifier Andrea Vavassori in straight sets on Thursday night.
World number three Carlos Alcaraz eases past doubles specialist Andrea Vavassori 6-2, 6-1 in just 63 minutes to move into the quarterfinals in Rotterdam Ahoy on debut at the ABN AMRO Open.
Showing there is more than power to his tennis, the Spanish player delivered a thrilling display, generating spectacular shotmaking, courtesy of his vast repertoire.
Moreover, he graced the court with his particular skill set, painting the lines with brilliance and delighting the crowd that packed the stadium.
“I’m here to entertain the people, make them happy, and enjoy watching my matches,” he said courtside.
Alcaraz got off to a dominant start, breaking serve twice before crushing the Italian qualifier 6-2 in 38 minutes.
With the wind in his sails, the four-time Grand Slam champion picked up where he left off, breaking Vavassori in the third, fifth, and seventh games to pocket the second set 6-1 and the match.
Making his first appearance at the ATP 500 tournament, the Spaniard secured his spot in the quarterfinals.
He won 85 percent of first-serve points, fending off the lone break point he faced throughout the match, converting five of eight break-point opportunities.
“Today was much better,” Alcaraz commented after his second-round win.
“Every time that I leave the court, I’m always thinking how I can be better. That’s what happened after the first round. I just tried to be focused on the things I had to improve from the first round. Not making too many mistakes and not having too many ups and downs in the match.
“If I’m a break up, just to keep going with the same intensity. That’s what I tried today. I think what I did was pretty good. After these types of matches, my confidence goes up.”
The 21-year-old survived a stern test in his opening round against Dutch Botic van de Zandschulp, who forced the world No. 3 to go the distance, keeping his quest for a maiden title in the indoor hard courts alive by prevailing 7-6, 3-6, 6-1.
Next, he will face countryman Pedro Martinez, who recorded his first hard court triumph over a top 20 player to wrap up proceedings on Thursday night.
In their first meeting on tour, the world No. 44 beat unwell fifth seed Holger Rune 6-1, 6-4 in one hour and 23 minutes on center court.
The 27-year-old from Alzira hit 12 winners against 13 unforced errors compared to the Danish player, 16 to 44, respectively.
The former world number one and Martinez have never played one another before at tour level.
Meanwhile, 2022 runner-up Stefanos Tsitsipas came through a three-hour battle against home favorite Tallon Griekspoor to progress into the last eight.
The Greek player, who had dropped the opening set, recovered from a matchpoint down in the second set to even the tie and force a decider he would eventually earn, completing a dramatic 6-7(5), 7-6(6), 7-5 victory.
On Friday, the Athens native will face off against Italian qualifier Mattia Bellucci, who shocked world No. 7 Daniil Medvedev by producing a 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-3 just shy the three-hour mark.