Novak Djokovic is on course to successfully defend his Italian Open crown because he seemingly now has an easier path, according to the updated Italian Open 2023 odds.
The Serb is now the highest seeded player in this tournament, so he just needs to take care of business to add to his big trophy case.
Similar to Djokovic, Iga Swiatek will also like her chances now that her fellow top seeds are knocked out of this tournament, but she’s up for a tricky test in the next round.
Elsewhere, Carlos Alcaraz suffered possibly the biggest upset in ATP Tour history when he was defeated by a player outside the Top 100.
Check out the latest Italian Open 2023 updates here at SBOTOP.
Djokovic through to the quarter-finals after testy encounter
Novak Djokovic reached his 17th successive Italian Open quarter-final after downing Cameron Norrie 6-3, 6-4 in the Round of 16 on Tuesday.
Djokovic raced to a 3-0 lead by overwhelming Norrie with his aggressive hitting, but more importantly, he was moving well and pain-free.
Prior to the tournament, Djokovic dropped a retirement hint, citing concerns about his long-term health, but that has been put to the side since his opening victory over Tomas Martin Etcheverry.
After winning the first set, tensions arose when Norrie hit Djokovic in the back of the ankle with an overhead smash as Djokovic had already turned around.
Norrie quickly apologised after the sequence, but it was not received well by Djokovic, although he used it as motivation to dominate the match from there.
Djokovic went on to break love for 5-4 in the second set and never looked back from there. After taking his second match point of the tournament, Djokovic exchanged a tense handshake with Norrie while not speaking to him at all.
“He’s a very nice guy off the court, so I don’t understand this kind of attitude on the court,” said Djokovic. “He brought the fire, and I responded to that. I’m not going to allow someone behaving like this bending my head.”
Djokovic’s bid for a record-extending 39th ATP Masters 1000 title has been smooth so far, but Holger Rune should give him a tough challenge in the quarter-finals.
The 20-year-old Dane stunned Djokovic in their previous meeting in Paris last year, and he will look to do the same here in Rome.
Carlos Alcaraz stunned by qualifier opponent
Carlos Alcaraz’s 12-match winning streak ended when he lost to Fabian Maroszan 6-3, 7-6(4). Maroszan battled through qualifying to play in his first ATP main draw event, and he had his best performance to date to knock out the Spaniard.
The 23-year-old Hungarian international got off to a 2-1 start as he gave Alcaraz problems with his drop shots. Alcaraz couldn’t get into any kind of rhythm, and Maroszan had back-to-back love holds of serve to take the opening set after 33 minutes.
Alcaraz fared better in the second set, but his unforced error in the final play handed Maroszan the match.
“Everything was perfect: the crowd, the weather, the court. I’m just happy I’m doing my job. I couldn’t imagine this, but I just beat the World No. 2,” said Maroszan.
“He made me feel uncomfortable on court. He was aggressive all the time,” said Alcaraz of Marozsan. “I’m sure he’s going to break the Top 100 very, very soon. It was surprising for me.”
Maroszan is set to take on Borna Coric in the fourth round. As for Alcaraz, he will use the extra time off to begin his preparations for the upcoming Roland Garros.
Iga Swiatek loves playing in Rome
Two-time defending champion Iga Swiatek beat Donna Vekic 6-3, 6-4 to set up a marquee match against Elena Rybakina in her third straight quarter-final appearance in this competition.
Swiatek follows in the footsteps of Conchita Martinez, Gabriela Sabatini, Maria Sharapova, Serena Williams, and Chris Evert as the only women who have won at least 14 straight Italian Open matches in the Open Era.
The Polish international was actually sloppy in the opening set, but she still took it, as Vekic only won 29-per cent of her points off her second serve.
The second set was a back-and-forth affair between Swiatek and Vekic, but Vekic missed her chance to break back in the last game, and Swiatek got back the two break points before booking her ticket to the quarter-finals.Swiatek has to get over the hump of beating Rybakina to go all the way, as Rybakina knocked Swiatek out of the Australian Open fourth round and the Indian Wells Masters semi-finals earlier this year.
●●●
CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE TENNIS STORIES & ODDS
Stay updated with everything sports and betting.
Follow us on social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
