The invention concerns a novel process for the preparation of 2-phenyl-2-hydroxy-N-[2-(3-alkoxy-4-hydroxyphenyl)-ethyl]-acetamides of the formula (I), wherein R1 is alkyl, R2 and R3 are each independently hydrogen or alkyl, and R4 is optionally substituted aryl or optionally substituted heteroaryl, which process comprises reacting a 2-(3-alkoxy-4-hydroxyphenyl)-ethylamine of the formula (II), wherein R1 R2 and R3 are as defined above with a α-hydoxycarboxylic acid ester of the formula (III) or a dioxolanone of the formula (III)a, wherein R4 is as defined above, and R5, R6 and R7 independently of each other are lower alkyl. The compounds of formula (I) are important intermediates for a novel group of fungicides derived from mandelic acid amides.