RIO DE JANEIRO – Teenage Carlos Alcaraz shocked top-seeded Matteo Berrettini 6-2, 2-6, 6-2 to advance to the semifinals at the Rio Open clay-court tournament.
With support from home fans in Rio de Janeiro, the 18-year-old Alcaraz won his quarterfinal clash against Berrettini and set up a semifinal match later the same day against another Italian opponent, Fabio Fognini.
Fognini beat Argentina’s Federico Coria 6-4, 6-2 in the quarterfinals.
Quarterfinals and semifinals are being played on Saturday due to heavy rain falling in Rio during the week.
Alcaraz, who won his first professional title last year in Umag, also on clay, is ranked 29th.
“All I can do now is to rest for a couple of hours,” Alcaraz said.
The match between Alcaraz and Berrettini was the last of the rain-hit tournament’s quarterfinals. It was interrupted by rain in the afternoon during the second game of the third set.
Argentina’s Diego Schwartzman and countryman Francisco Cerundolo will meet in the semifinals.
Third-seeded Schwartzman beat Spain’s Pablo Andujar 7-6 (3), 4-6, 6-4 on Saturday. Hours earlier, Cerundolo topped Serbia’s Miomir Kecmanovic 5-7, 6-2, 6-4.
Schwartzman said after the almost four-hour match that he is not sure whether he will be fit to play in the semifinals and asked organizers for more rest.
“We have to take care of players. Entering the court within two hours to play a semifinal would be an embarrassment,” Schwartzman said. “I don’t know whether I will be able to play. If ATP gives me time to rest it will be a good match.”
