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The No. 3 in the ATP rankings pulled through to a 7-6(2), 6-2 triumph against Laslo Djere to reach the fourth round at the Italian ATP Masters 1000 for the first time. 

In his second clash with Djere in the space of four weeks, Alcaraz was slow to get going on Campo Centrale, but he dug deep before accelerating past an opponent who struggled with a right arm injury for much of the match.

“It was a really tough beginning, honestly, to find a good rhythm, to find the good path in the match,” Alcaraz said. “He played really solid in the first set. I didn’t find the way to [stop him], that’s how tough it was at the beginning. 

"He was serving for the first set and I just thought that I had to stay there, mentally strong, and wait for my chances... I was just happy to get the first set.

“In the second set I think I was playing better. He made a few mistakes that I tried to make the most of, and I am really happy.”

Alcaraz, who also defeated Djere in April en route to the final in Barcelona, converted four of nine break points he earned in an ultimately comfortable one-hour, 44-minute victory. 

With his Tour-leading 26th win of the season, the 22 year-old booked a fourth-round meeting with 23rd seed Karen Khachanov, who earlier sunk home favourite Francesco Passaro 6-3, 6-0. 

Alcaraz will hope to build on his solid-yet-unspectacular start in Rome after he missed Madrid due to an adductor injury.

“I was trying to come back from the injury as good as I can and then I got a cold,” said Alcaraz, who wore a nasal strip against Djere, as he had in his opening-round win against Dusan Lajovic. “But once you are on the court you try not to think about those things and just keep going. Sometimes it is difficult, but it’s great having matches in straight sets to save energy for the next matches.”

A curious first set in the third-round encounter featured Djere unleashing a barrage of forehand winners to go 3-1 up early, before the Serbian appeared to start complaining to his coach Mario Tudor of a problem with his lower right arm. Alcaraz continued to struggle for consistency in his groundstrokes but nonetheless twice reclaimed a break, including when Djere served for the set at 6-5, to force a tie-break.

It was with the opening set on the line that Alcaraz finally upped his level to pull away from his opponent. He produced a classy tie-break, highlighted by a stunning forehand slice winner from a seemingly impossible position to bring up set point.

Djere received treatment from the physio on his troublesome arm, but the injury began to affect the Serbian, who won his third ATP Tour title in March in Santiago, more visibly into the second set. He quickly fell a double-break behind, and Alcaraz was quick to wrap up a win in which he won 32 of 72 points on return.

If Alcaraz can defeat Khachanov on Wednesday, he will complete the set of reaching the quarter-finals at all nine Masters 1000 events.