Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz faced a scare on Friday night at Roland-Garros but ultimately secured his place in the French Open round of 16 after a 6-1, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 win over Damir Dzumhur of Bosnia & Herzegovina.
The World No. 2 from Spain dominated the first two sets in just 27 and 34 minutes, combining pinpoint forehands with lightning-fast court coverage. But a mid-match lapse in the third set saw him commit 20 unforced errors—ten times his first-set tally—allowing the 33-year-old Bosnian to snag the set 6-4.
"I suffered quite a lot today, but I’m proud to get the win," Alcaraz said after battling back from a 3-1 deficit in the fourth set. Maintaining focus over four hours on the clay courts of Court Philippe Chatrier is never easy, he added, but the Spaniard found a second wind to break Dzumhur twice and close out the match.
Next up for Alcaraz is a blockbuster clash against 13th-seeded American Ben Shelton, who impressed with his heavy serve and baseline power earlier in the tournament.
Meanwhile, Denmark’s Holger Rune edged past France’s Quentin Halys in a marathon five-setter, winning 4-6, 6-2, 5-7, 7-5, 6-2. Rune, ranked No. 10, praised Halys for his fight and said adapting to changing weather on the Parisian clay was key to his comeback.
Rune will meet Italy’s eighth seed Lorenzo Musetti in the last 16, setting the stage for more high-octane clay-court tennis as Roland-Garros heads into its knockout phase.
Reference(s):
Alcaraz stumbles but ousts Dzumhur to reach round of 16 at French Open
cgtn.com
