MELBOURNE — Carlos Alcaraz's bid to complete the Career Grand Slam remains on
track at the Australian Open after Jack Draper was forced to withdraw from the
pair’s fourth-round clash on Sunday.
The Spaniard led Draper 7-5, 6-1 when the Briton was forced
to stop. Alcaraz is now into his 10th Grand Slam quarterfinal, where he will
take on record 10-time champion Novak Djokovic or Jiri Lehecka.
By reaching the last eight at a major for the 10th time,
Alcaraz equalled the Open Era record for the most Grand Slam quarterfinals
reached by a man aged 21 or under.
Before walking off the court, Alcaraz signed the camera with
touching touching words for Draper, "You will be where you deserve. Get
well soon, Jack!" he wrote on the camera.
Draper’s retirement came after Alcaraz had rectified a
first-set lapse in scintillating fashion inside Rod Laver Arena. The third seed
had carved out an early 5-2 lead and was in total command when he produced a
frustrated, wayward sequence of games to allow Draper to level at 5-5.
From there Alcaraz was regularly producing some typically
outrageous shotmaking, he won eight of the next nine games as Draper, who
received an off-court medical timeout at the end of the first set, began to
feel the exertions of his opening-week heroics in Melbourne, ATP reports.
Alcaraz sealed the second set against Draper with a display
of serving dominance. The young Spaniard's blistering serves kept Draper at
bay. Alcara struck a searing forehand winner to claim one of the points
emphatically.
Despite Draper's efforts, Alcaraz's offensive prowess on serve
proved too much to handle, as the Spaniard comfortably held to take the second
set 6-1. Alcaraz took a two-set lead in the match, before Draper decided to
withdraw.
"It’s not the way I want to win the match to get
through to the next round. I’m just happy to play in another quarterfinal in
Australia, but a little bit sad for Jack, he’s a nice person. He doesn’t
deserve to get injured," said Alcaraz in his on-court interview.
Alcaraz is bidding to become the youngest player to complete
the career Grand Slam in men's singles history. In a tournament that has been
dominated by youth, the 21-year-old Alcaraz can become the youngest champion at
the hard-court major since Novak Djokovic (20) in 2008.
