Alcaraz forced to raise his level against Khachanov to reach the quarterfinals

After defeating Serbians Lajovic (6-3, 6-3) and Djere (7-6, 6-2) in his first two matches, Carlos Alcaraz will be looking to secure victory against Khachanov to secure a place in the quarter-finals in Rome . The Russian, for his part, has qualified for the round of 16, defeating Burruchaga (6-4, 5-7, 6-1) and Passaro (6-3, 6-0).

The Murcian makes his debut in the round of sixteen in the transalpine capital, a tournament he missed last year due to injury and in which, in his only appearance, in 2023, he was eliminated in the round of 32 by Hungarian Fabian Marozsan .

The Russian and the Spaniard have faced each other four times before, with the current world number 3 emerging victorious each time, never having dropped a set. Their first meeting was in the round of 16 at Roland Garros in 2022 (6-1, 6-4, 6-4), while their second took place that same year in the quarter-finals in Hamburg (6-0, 6-2). In 2023, they met in the quarter-finals of the Mutua Madrid Open (6-4, 7-5), and finally, Alcaraz defeated Khachanov in the quarter-finals of the 2024 Beijing tournament (7-5, 6-2). In total, the El Palmar native has won two on clay and two on hard courts.

Alcaraz is trying to regain the world number two ranking, currently held by Zverev . To achieve this, he needs to reach at least the semifinals in Rome , provided the German doesn't win the tournament.

The match between Carlos Alcaraz and Karen Khachanov is scheduled for this Tuesday, May 13, starting at 11 a.m. on center court.

The match between Alcaraz and Khachanov will be broadcast on Movistar+ on the Movistar Plus channel (channel 7), the platform that owns the rights to the Rome Masters 1000. You can also follow the minute-by-minute coverage and all the tournament information on ABC.es.