Carlos Alcaraz eased into the quarter-finals of the Rotterdam Open on Thursday with a comfortable straight-sets win over Italian qualifier Andrea Vavassori. The top-seeded Alcaraz showed his class, defeating the world No. 317 Vavassori 6-2, 6-1 in just over an hour.

Dominant Performance from Alcaraz

The Spaniard had far too much firepower and accuracy for his opponent. He broke Vavassori early in the first set and sealed it 6-2 after the Italian pushed a forehand wide. Wearing a breathing aid on his nose as he recovers from illness, Alcaraz said, “Today, I think I hit everything pretty well. I’m just hopeful I can keep going and be a bit better next round.”

Alcaraz continued his momentum in the second set, breaking again early with a beautiful lob in the third game. Another break followed quickly after, as Vavassori double-faulted. Alcaraz wrapped up the match with a final break of serve, sending a powerful forehand return that Vavassori could only poke wide.

A Great Contrast to His First-Round Match

This victory was a stark contrast to his first-round match, where Alcaraz needed nearly three hours to overcome local hero Botic van de Zandschulp. Alcaraz acknowledged, “The first match of every tournament is never easy to get used to the conditions, so I’m just trying to make the most of the time I spent here in the first round.”

Alcaraz will now face compatriot Pedro Martinez in the quarter-finals after Martinez stunned fifth seed Holger Rune 6-4, 6-1.

Stefanos Tsitsipas Scrapes Through in Rotterdam

Earlier Thursday, Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas saved a match point and battled from a set down to overcome local hope Tallon Griekspoor in a thrilling three-hour marathon. Tsitsipas, the world No. 12, eventually triumphed 6-7 (5/7), 7-6 (8/6), 7-5 in a match lasting around three hours.

Tsitsipas Reflects on the Marathon Match

Tsitsipas joked after the match, “I feel like I was here for 10 hours today. I felt like me and Tallon played for ages and I feel like it was a marathon. We started yesterday and finished today.” He also praised Griekspoor’s performance, adding, “I always felt that he brought the best out of me. We were both fighting pretty well out on the court. These are matches that are going to be remembered.”

Tsitsipas will now face Italian qualifier Mattia Bellucci in the quarter-finals, following Bellucci’s shock victory over second seed Daniil Medvedev in a marathon three-setter on Wednesday.

Alex de Minaur Advances to Quarter-Finals

Also through to the quarter-finals is Alex de Minaur, last year’s runner-up. The Australian defeated Czech teenager Jakub Mensik 6-4, 6-4 to secure his spot in the next round.