Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz reached the semifinals of the Madrid Open by beating Russian Karen Khachanov in straight sets.
with the score 6-4, 7-5.
The tournament favorite, who turns 20 on Friday, had to struggle in the second set to recover from a 2-5 deficit, putting in five straight games.
"Winning this match will give me a lot of confidence, Karen was of a great level and took me to the limit," said the Spaniard, who will now face the winner of the challenge between Daniel Altmaier and Borna Coric.