Carlos Alcaraz and Jack Draper will be facing each other for the sixth time in their careers when they battle for a spot in the semifinals of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia BNL d’Italia on Wednesday.
Alcaraz leads the head-to-head series 3-2 despite losing their most recent encounter at the Indian Wells Masters via a 6-1, 0-6, 6-4 decision. They also squared off earlier in 2025 at the Australian Open, where a 7-5, 6-1 advantage for Alcaraz resulted in a Draper retirement.
With his physical issues apparently things of the past, Draper is red hot these days. The British left-hander is No. 2 in the race to Turin and No. 5 in the world thanks in part to his Indian Wells title plus runner-up showings in Doha and Madrid. He has maintained his fine form with wins this fortnight over Luciano Darderi, Vit Kopriva, and Corentin Moutet.
“Jack is playing great,” Alcaraz noted. “The way he’s playing is really high. I’ve been watching his matches. The way he plays is huge, and I have to be ready for that. I think it’s going to be a great battle.”
It’s one for which the Spaniard should be ready. He is well rested after skipping Madrid because of a leg injury and he has looked good so far in Rome while taking out Dusan Lajovic, Laslo Djere, and Karen Khachanov.
Alcaraz may not be at his absolute best in 2025, but on this surface and under these circumstances he should have a good chance against Draper even with something like a “B” to “B+” level. Draper is playing great, but he has played nine matches dating back to the start of Madrid. There has to be some wear and tear. As such, I’m giving the edge to Alcaraz.
Ricky contributes to 10sballs.com and also maintains his own tennis website, The Grandstand. You can follow him on Twitter at @Dimonator.