World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz reflects on reaching Barcelona Open semifinals after win over De Minaur

Fresh off his title at the Monte-Carlo Masters 1000, Carlos Alcaraz continues his winning run during the European clay-court swing. On Friday, he defeated Alex De Minaur 7-5, 6-3 to move into the semifinals of the Barcelona Open—putting him just two matches away from claiming his third title of the season.

“I think I played a complete match, very solid. At the beginning I had a few doubts, but in the end I found the right rhythm,” Alcaraz said in the post-match press conference, as shared by Eurosport. “I’m happy I was able to pull through against a rival like Alex, who always makes matches very tough.”

The World No. 2 also explained how De Minaur’s playing style posed challenges. “I know him well and he’s one of those players who’s very fast and solid, always on the attack, leaving few chances to come to the net or play aggressively,” Carlos began. “In the end, that also makes you rush things, trying to find openings.”

As Alcaraz acknowledged, he had a shaky start, with his rival breaking serve early and putting him under pressure. “That 4-3, 40-15 in the first set, with two serves for him, and still I was able to get the break back—that was the key to the match,” the Spanish star explained. “On clay, you know it’s not essential to dominate with your serve, it’s not that important, and I knew I’d have more chances to get back in it.”

Alcaraz already focused on his next match

With the win over Alex De Minaur, Carlos Alcaraz secured his spot in the Barcelona Open semifinals, where he’ll face Arthur Fils. The two met just a week ago in the Monte-Carlo quarterfinals, a match Alcaraz won. Fils reached this stage after Stefanos Tsitsipas withdrew from their quarterfinal with an injury just two games into the match.

“He’s a great player,” Alcaraz said of Fils. “He has more than enough physical strength to handle whatever comes his way, whether he played much today or not. He’s rested, but maybe lacking rhythm—or at least that’s what I hope. We’ll try to give our best. He’s got a very powerful game, very tough.”

Alcaraz has a big opportunity ahead

After overtaking Alexander Zverev for the No. 2 spot in the ATP rankings, Carlos Alcaraz is now closing in on Jannik Sinner. With the Italian set to return in May at the Rome Open, Carlos has two more tournaments to earn valuable points and push toward the top.

At the Barcelona Open, Alcaraz isn’t defending any points from last year, having withdrawn due to injury. And at the Madrid Masters 1000, he exited in the quarterfinals in 2024. That means if he maintains his strong clay-court form from recent weeks, he could be very close to catching Sinner ahead of Rome and Roland Garros.