Spanish teenager Carlos Alcaraz avenged his Indian Wells defeat to Andy Murray on Wednesday to reach the quarter-finals of the ATP event in Vienna.
Alcaraz, 16 years younger than former world No 1 and three-time Major winner Murray, clinched a 6-3, 6-4 win.
“For me it’s a great feeling to play against Andy Murray and to be able to beat him,” said Alcaraz after a match which featured 25 break points and seven breaks of serve. “I played really, really well and I’m just really happy for the performance today.”
Last month, Murray, now ranked 156 in the world, had stunned his 42nd-ranked opponent in three sets in the second round of the prestigious Masters tournament in the Californian desert. In the first round, Murray knocked out fifth seed Hubert Hurkacz in a three-set battle.
“Indian Wells was the first time that I met Andy on court and now I knew a little bit more, I just knew his game, how to play,” added Alcaraz.
The young Spaniard will face either third-seeded Wimbledon runner-up Matteo Berrettini, who beat Nikoloz Basilashvili 6-7 (5/7), 6-2, 6-3, for a place in the semi-finals.
Meanwhile, Italian seventh seed Jannik Sinner, the champion in Antwerp last weekend, kept up his late push for a place in the season-ending ATP Finals in Turin by making the second round.
Sinner defeated big-serving American Reilly Opelka 6-4, 6-2 and will next play Austria’s Dennis Novak.
The 20-year-old Sinner started the week in 10th place in the race for Turin just behind Hubert Hurkacz for the final qualifying spot in the eight-man field for the Turin showpiece.
Results
1st round
Gael Monfils (FRA) bt Lorenzo Musetti (ITA) 7-6 (7/2), 6-4
Diego Schwartzman (ARG x8) bt Fabio Fognini (ITA) 6-2, 7-5
Lorenzo Sonego (ITA) bt Dominik Koepfer (GER) 6-4, 6-3
Jannik Sinner (ITA x7) bt Reilly Opelka (USA) 6-4, 6-2
2nd round
Carlos Alcaraz (ESP) bt Andy Murray (GBR) 6-3, 6-4
Matteo Berrettini (ITA x3) bt Nikoloz Basilashvili (GEO) 6-7 (5/7), 6-2, 6-3
With AFP Inputs
