Carlos Alcaraz could be heard apologising to opponent Alexander Bublik after the Spaniard booked his place in the Monte-Carlo Masters semi-final with a convincing 6-3, 6-0 win.
It was a routine victory for defending champion Alcarez, who will take on Alex de Minaur or Valentin Vacherot in Saturday's semi-final.
The 22-year-old made a positive start to the contest on Friday afternoon and broke to take a 2-0 lead, but eighth seed Bublik made a valiant comeback in the opening set, picking up three straight games.
However, Alcaraz bounced back in style and won 10 consecutive games on Court Rainier III to earn his 300th tour-level win.
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In total, it has taken Alcaraz just 367 matches to reach the milestone, which means he is the third-fastest player to reach 300 career victories, with only Rod Laver (355 matches) and Jimmy Connors (363 matches) ahead of him.
For much of the contest, Bublik was left helpless as his opponent produced some eye-catching shots.
To his credit, the Russian-born player was gracious in defeat as they approached the net to shake hands. In fact, such was the manner of the defeat, Alcaraz apologised to his opponent. “Sorry, man,” he said.
Bublik replied by saying it was "okay" and wished him good luck for the rest of the tournament. He also appeared to offer an explanation for his below-par performance.
“We played in my worst conditions possible, bro,” Bublik laughed. Alcarez, also smiling, replied: "Hope to cross paths with you on the grass."
Speaking in the aftermath of his win over Bublik, Alcaraz summed up his display in Monte-Carlo.
"I started the match pretty well," he said. "I had points to be two breaks up and didn't make it and then I lost a bit of the feeling on the ball.
"I had to run side to side a lot, had to defend and then a few games gave me a lot of confidence in the match. I was playing aggressively and I played a great and solid match against a player that you don't know what they will produce next."
Alcaraz added: "I am happy to get through and to play another semi-final here."
The Spaniard is just two wins from successfully defending his title in Monte-Carlo, having beaten Lorenzo Musetti in last year's final. He has his past 16 matches on clay.
The world number one completed the Career Grand Slam at the Australian Open in January and won the ATP 500 title in Doha. He will be hoping to add to his collection in the coming days.
Topics: Carlos Alcaraz
Jack Kenmare