Carlos Alcaraz progressed to the Australian Open quarter-finals after his opponent, Jack Draper, retired during their last-16 match on Sunday at Rod Laver Arena amidst scorching conditions. At the time of Draper’s withdrawal, the Spanish third seed was leading the match with a score of 7-5, 6-1.
Draper, seeded 15th, had previously endured three grueling five-set victories in his earlier matches, staging comebacks in each one. The nearly 13 hours he spent on court, compared to Alcaraz’s six, proved to be too demanding in the end.
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“It’s not the way I wanted to win. But obviously I’m happy to play another quarter-final here in Australia,” Alcaraz stated, expressing sympathy for Draper’s injury.
The British player had previously withdrawn from the United Cup due to hip issues. This marks Alcaraz’s second consecutive quarter-final appearance at Melbourne Park, with his previous attempt in January 2024 ending in a loss to Alexander Zverev.
He now awaits the winner of the match between Novak Djokovic and Czech Jiri Lehecka. The Australian Open remains the only major title missing from Alcaraz’s collection of four Grand Slam victories.
“I’m happy with the level I’m playing. On the court and off the court I’m feeling really comfortable here,” he remarked, noting his excellent physical condition for the tournament’s latter stages.
Despite having lost their previous encounter at Queen’s Club in 2024, Alcaraz dominated this match from the beginning. He secured a crucial break in the sixth game and claimed the first set, despite a brief resurgence from Draper.
In the second set, Draper fell behind 3-0 before ultimately deciding to retire from the match.
