Carlos Alcaraz on a roll in Beijing

Carlos Alcaraz continued to storm through the field at the ATP Beijing event, with the world No. 2 moving easily into his 12th semi-final of the season on Monday.

The 20-year-old Spaniard kept a perfect record 4-0 against Norway’s Casper Ruud with a 6-4, 6-2 result in their quarter-final to earn a 61st hard-court win of the season.

Alcaraz was untroubled after going down an early break against Ruud, who played the final of the year-end championship in Turin but is now fighting for a spot in the eight-man field in November.

The Spanish world No. 2 has a points battle of his now on the go as he duels with Novak Djokovic for season-ending top ranking honours.

“I am very happy, to beat a player like Casper in straight sets is really good.

“It means you are playing well. It is really tough, there were big rallies at the beginning of the match.

“But I’m really happy with the level. Being able to find solutions after the start of the first set. These kind of matches give you extra confidence.”

Alcaraz is seeking a seventh title of the season and won his 12th quarter-final match of 13 played in 2023. He ended with 30 winners, breaking Ruud four times in one and three-quarter hours.