BARCELONA: Carlos Alcaraz battled into the semi-finals of the Barcelona Open on Friday with a 7-5, 6-3 win over Alex de Minaur after Casper Ruud`s title defence was ended by Holger Rune.

Top seed Alcaraz twice fell a break down but recovered to win the opening set in a match-up of the two players with the most wins on tour this season.

Alcaraz, chasing a third Barcelona title in four years after missing the last edition withinjury, broke for a 4-2 lead in the second set before closing out the victory.

`I started quite badly with the serve, I was struggling a little bit mentally with (it),` said Alcaraz.

`It was just the first few games with my serve, then I think I improved a lot. I calmed myself down and started to think positively again. It was really tight the first set,` he added. `I`m glad that I ended up winning it.

In the second set I just played great tennis.Reigning French Open champion Alcaraz is 20-1 on clay since May of last year and has won 13 straight matches in Barcelona.

Alcaraz will face French rising star Arthur Fils on Saturday for a place in the final.

The Spanish world number two beat Fils in three sets last week on his run to the Monte Carlo title.

Fils advanced when four-time Barcelona runner-up Stefanos Tsitsipas retired in the third game of their quarter-final.The 20-year-old Fils was leading 2-0 when Tsitsipas took a medical timeout, returning to play five more points before walking to the net to shake hands with his rival.

`I think it`s his back, but I`m not really sure to be honest,` said Fils. `I was ready to battle for a few hours, because he is a champion and every time we play, we have tough matches. I wish him the best.

Norwegian Ruud lost 6-4, 6-2 to Rune as he suffered just a second defeat in eight meet-ings with the Danish player.

World number 13 Rune broke second seed Ruud twice in each set to line up a semi-final against Karen Khachanov, who overcame Spain`s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-4, 7-5.

`It means a lot, it was a really good match today,` said Rune. `I played the right way and I`m very happy I was able to finish it. `He made it difficult, he`s a great player. I think I played on my terms and I was really explosive, this is how I want to play.`-AFP