May 31, 2022; Paris, France; Carlos Alcaraz (ESP) reacts to a point during his match against Alexander Zverev (GER) on day 10 of the French Open at Stade Roland-Garros.

tennis

Carlos Alcaraz Proves Elite Mentality With Insane Stat After Jack Draper Win at Italian Open 2025

Spaniard is chasing first Rome trophy.

May 31, 2022; Paris, France; Carlos Alcaraz (ESP) reacts to a point during his match against Alexander Zverev (GER) on day 10 of the French Open at Stade Roland-Garros.

On Wednesday, Carlos Alcaraz earned a gigantic victory over Great Britain’s Jack Draper in the 2025 Internazionali BNL d’Italia quarterfinals. The Spaniard, seeded No. 3 at the Italian capital behind Sinner and Zverev, exacted revenge for his Indian Wells 2025 loss – by winning 6-4 6-4. After the encounter, a unique statistic emerged which proves Alcaraz’s impeccable ability to produce his best tennis against the world’s top players.

At the age of 22, Alcaraz is already a four-time Grand Slam champion. It goes without saying that he has beaten some of the most critically acclaimed players in the world en route to his biggest successes. This year at the Foro Italico, ‘Carlitos’ has overcome the likes of Karen Khachanov and Jack Draper in his quest for a maiden trophy in Rome.

Alcaraz is set to face hometown hero Lorenzo Musetti in the semifinals on Friday.

‘Clutch’ Alcaraz Trails Only Bjorn Borg in Top-5 Record

When it comes to racing the topmost athletes to the finish line, seldom does it get better than Carlos Alcaraz. According to OptaAce, the reigning Roland Garros champ has a 65.6% winning rate against Top-5 ranked opposition. He trails only former World No. 1 Bjorn Borg – who has the highest win percentage (73.8%) since the ATP Rankings were first published [Minimum 10 Matches].

The Spanish superstar has a superior head to head record against current World No. 1 Jannik Sinner. He leads the duel 6-4, and won the three most recent battles between the players. Although Alcaraz trails the likes of Djokovic, Nadal and Zverev in the face-to-face historically, he has beaten them in some of the grandest stages.

65.6 – Since the ATP rankings were first published in 1973, Carlos Alcaraz (65.6%) only trails Bjorn Borg (73.8%) for win rate against ATP top five opponents – minimum 10 matches. Whoa.#IBI25 | @InteBNLdItalia @atptour @ATPMediaInfo pic.twitter.com/vbvWATrjNC
— OptaAce (@OptaAce) May 14, 2025

Win Percentage vs ATP Top-5 Since 1973 (Min. 10 Matches):

Bjorn Borg – 73.8%
Carlos Alcaraz – 65.6%
Pete Sampras – 62.9%
Boris Becker – 61.8%
Novak Djokovic – 60.5%

Alcaraz to Face Musetti in Rome 2025 SF

Following his win, Alcaraz awaited the winner of the match between Italian maestro Lorenzo Musetti and defending champion Alexander Zverev. While the German made the early inroads, he crumbled under pressure and gave up multiple set points. The 23-year-old, backed by a partisan Centre Court crowd, delivered a defensive masterclass to win 7-6(1) 6-4 in 2 hours and 15 minutes.

Musetti has now reached the semifinals or better at all three clay court Masters-1000 events in 2025. Winning 15 out of 20 drop shot attempts against his German counterpart, he proved that his variety and adaptability is among the best on tour. Alcaraz currently leads the head to head by 4-1 against Musetti – his one and only loss to the single-handed backhand specialist came at their first meeting in 2022.

Although Musetti is not a Top-5 opponent, his level of tennis is a strong indicator that he is on the right track. Will Alcaraz be able to shut down the Roman storm on Friday? We will have our answers soon.

ATP

Bjorn Borg

Carlos Alcaraz

Italian Open

Jack Draper

Lorenzo Musetti

Novak Djokovic

Pete Sampras

Tennis

Sankalp Harikrishnan

A passionate sports fan through and through, I am currently pursuing my MA in Global Sports Journalism. I specialise in tennis and football writing at The Playoffs News, and I have prior experience working at EssentiallySports and Sportskeeda. Born and raised in Bengaluru, India, sport was my safe space right from my childhood. After trying my hand at multiple sports and representing my educational institutions in cricket, badminton and table tennis, I found sports media to be my calling.