BUENOS AIRES – Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz reached the semi-finals of the Buenos Aires clay-court tournament on Feb 16 with a straight-sets win over Italian qualifier Andrea Vavassori.

World No. 2 Alcaraz, playing his first tournament since a shock quarter-final exit at the Australian Open, came through 7-6 (7-1), 6-1 against his 152nd-ranked opponent.