Aslan Karatsev, a Russian qualifier, defeated Zhang Zhizhen, a Chinese player, 7-6 (3), 6-4 in the quarterfinals of the Madrid Open on Thursday. Karatsev, who is ranked 121st in the world, is the second qualifier to reach the semifinals of the Madrid Open. He will face either top-seeded Novak Djokovic or sixth-seeded Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinals.
Zhang, who is ranked 99th in the world, was making his first appearance in the quarterfinals of a Masters 1000 event. He had upset third-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas and fifth-seeded Casper Ruud in the previous two rounds.
Karatsev started the match strong, breaking Zhang in the first game of the match. However, Zhang broke back in the third game to level the score at 2-2. The two players traded breaks until the tiebreak, which Karatsev won 7-3.
Karatsev broke Zhang in the third game of the second set and never looked back. He won the set 6-4 to advance to the semifinals.
Karatsev's win over Zhang is a major breakthrough for the Russian qualifier. He is now one win away from reaching his first Masters 1000 final.