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Alcaraz rallied from 2-4 to claim the first set on Campo Centrale and let slip an early break lead in the second, but his quality shone through in the closing stages en route to a one-hour, 38-minute quarter-final triumph.

“I think the most important thing that I did today was not thinking about the shots at all,” Alcaraz said. “Not thinking about the fact that I was down, just trying to do the things that make me happy. 

"On court I just tried to be aggressive, play good shots, drop shots, go to the net. That’s what I like to do on the court, and I think that made the difference today.

“I played such a high rhythm during the whole match that I didn’t let him dominate or stay long in the rallies. I think that was a really good win today for me, and I’m just really proud about the way I approached the match.”

As well as keeping him on track for his second Masters 1000 trophy of the year (after Monte-Carlo), Alcaraz’s win against Draper also ensured he will rise above Alexander Zverev to No. 2 in the ATP rankings. 

That will also lock the 22 year-old in as the second seed for the French Open at Roland Garros, where he is the defending champion. As the second seed, Alcaraz is guaranteed to be in the opposite half of the draw to World No. 1 Jannik Sinner at the clay major.

“I just feel that I play great tennis on clay,” said Alcaraz, who also reached a final in Barcelona before missing Madrid due to an adductor injury. “I started the clay season really well. Obviously, it was sad that I got injured after Barcelona, but it’s always difficult to be excited. 

"I’m just excited to keep it going and try to compete as well as I can. I’m just happy to feel the good rhythm, feel the good tennis again here in Rome, and obviously this match has given me a lot of confidence.”

With his Tour-leading 28th win of 2025, Alcaraz advanced to the Rome semi-finals for the first time on his second appearance. His opponent there will be home favourite Lorenzo Musetti.

Just as he had against Laslo Djere and Karen Khachanov in his previous two matches, Alcaraz produced a performance against Draper that fluctuated dramatically between streaks of shotmaking brilliance and lapses that allowed his opponent to escape from tough positions. Yet Alcaraz still found the consistency required to hold off the fifth-seeded Briton.

The third-seeded Spaniard finished the match having hit 24 winners to Draper’s eight, a tally which more than made up for his 29 unforced errors to his opponent’s 18. Alcaraz was also clinical with his chances on return, converting all four break points he earned in the match.

Draper would have risen above Taylor Fritz to No. 4 in the ATP live rankings by beating Alcaraz on Thursday.