RIO DE JANEIRO, Feb 25, 2023 (BSS/AFP) - World number two Carlos Alcaraz
clawed back a break in both sets and dominated the tiebreaker to beat Dusan
Lajovic 6-4, 7-6 (7/0) on Friday in the ATP Rio Open quarter-finals.

The 19-year-old Spaniard notched his third win in three matches against 32-
year-old Lajovic, including a quarter-final win over the 80th-ranked Serbian
in the quarter-finals at the Argentina Open last week.

Alcaraz went on to win that title to cement his return from a four-month
injury layoff that saw him miss the Australian Open.

On Friday he will face either Chilean Qualifier Nicolas Jarry or sixth-seeded
Sebastian Baez of Argentina for a place in the Rio final, where he'd be
seeking to defend the title that made him the youngest ever winner of an ATP
500 tournament last year.

Second-seeded Briton Cameron Norrie booked his semi-final berth with a 4-6,
6-1, 6-4 victory over Bolivian Hugo Dellian.

Norrie, trying to reach his third final of the year, will face Spain's
Bernabe Zapata Miralles, who beat compatriot Albert Ramos Vinolas 6-4, 2-6,
6-4.

Alcaraz improved his perfect record in 2023 to 7-0, but he had to figure some
things out along the way.

"It was a very complicated match," Alcaraz said. "Dusan has a great forehand,
a great backhand, a great serve, very good shots, and today he has shown it,
he has given a recital.

"But I was solid. In the end, I was very happy to have solved those
problems."

Alcaraz trailed 2-4 in both sets, reeling off the last four games of the
first before finding himself in another battle in the second.

He belted 32 winners to Lajovic's 13 and won 16 of 17 points at the net.

But 25 unforced errors contributed to the difficulties that saw him go down
an early break in both sets.

In the second, he broke back with a stinging backhand winner to level the set
at 4-4.

He led 40-0 in the 11th game only to surrender his serve and saved a set
point on the way to a break in the next game that forced the tiebreaker.

"Those moments are where the very good players differ from the rest of the
players, and I try to play at my highest level," Alcaraz said.

Alcaraz, whose five titles last year included the US Open and made him the
youngest-ever world number one, was dominant throughout the decider, putting
it away on his first match point with a forehand passing winner.