Draper solves Moutet riddle to set up quarter-final clash against Alcaraz in Rome

Britain’s Jack Draper survived a torrid start as he beat Frenchman Corentin Moutet 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 to advance to the quarter-finals of the Rome Masters at the Foro Italico in Roma on Tuesday.

The fifth seed was outplayed in the first set but worked his way back into the match and emerged a deserving winner to set up a clash with Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, the No 3 seed, next. He is just the fifth British man to make the last eight in Rome in the Open era.

“I don’t think I’ve played many people like him before”,” Draper said of Moutet. “Credit to him. I was finding it so strange from the start. Actually, I started off pretty well, and then when we kind of got into it from there, I felt like, very uncomfortable. I didn’t really know what to do.

“It kind of got away from me, the first set, and I thought to just start off the second from scratch. And knew that I had to change a few things tactically, had to be there for every point because his level wasn’t going to drop. I knew that so really, really happy with the way I problem solved.”

In the previous rounds of the Italian Open, Draper beat Italian Luciano Darderi (6-1, 6-4) and qualifier Vit Kopriva (6-4, 6-3).

Moutet, ranked No 83, defeated Australian Rinky Hijikata (3-6, 6-1, 7-5), No 21 seed Ugo Humbert (6-3, 4-0 ret.) and Dane Holger Rune, the No 9 seed (7-5, 5-7, 7-6 (4)) earlier in the tournament.

Roma Masters 1000, other last 16 results (Foro Italico, clay, EUR 8.055.385, most recent results first):

• Jaume Munar vs. Casper Ruud
• Tommy Paul vs. Alex De Minaur
• Arthur Fils vs. Alexander Zverev
• Jannik Sinner vs. Francisco Cerundolo
• Lorenzo Musetti vs. Daniil Medvedev
• Hubert Hurkacz vs. Jakub Mensik
• Carlos Alcaraz beat Karen Khachanov (23): 6-3, 3-6, 7-5