Alcaraz survives scare to reach Queen’s quarters

London: Carlos Alcaraz avoided a huge upset against fellow Spaniard Jaume Munar to move into the Queen s Club quarter finals with a 6 4, 6 7 (7/9), 7...

London: Carlos Alcaraz avoided a huge upset against fellow Spaniard Jaume Munar to move into the Queen’s Club quarter-finals with a 6-4, 6-7 (7/9), 7-5 victory yesterday.

Alcaraz, the world number two, was forced to dig deep in a bruising second-round battle that lasted three hours and 26 minutes on the hottest day of the year in London.

Gulping down pickle juice in between games to prevent cramp, Alcaraz had to battle back from 4-2 down in the final set before finally advancing.

“It was a really tough battle. He’s a great competitor and he showed how difficult it is to beat him,” Alcaraz said.

“I’m proud of the level I showed today. It’s my second match on grass this year. There were moments I struggled a lot mentally and physically.”