Alcaraz hopes to learn from mistakes ahead of Paul quarter-final
PARIS - Carlos Alcaraz eliminated "dumb mistakes" from his game to see off Ben Shelton on Sunday and hoped to learn from his experience to avoid another tough workout when he plays American Tommy Paul in the French Open quarter-finals.
The defending champion was put through the wringer in his third-round match by Damir Dzumhur and was unable to show his usual aggressive side against Shelton, who dragged him into battle before losing 7-6(8) 6-3 4-6 6-4.
"I was really focused and trying to show my good tennis, playing aggressively, hitting great shots," Alcaraz said.
"In the beginning it was difficult for me to play at that level. I just tried to play more solid than aggressive. Probably I made dumb mistakes that I had to go for it all the time. I found the right way in the match.
"I tried to keep it in that direction, but tennis is like that. One round you're playing against one opponent and the next round you're playing a totally different game so you have to get used to the game from the opponent."
While Shelton may not be the most natural player on clay, Paul represents a different kettle of fish and Alcaraz said he was aware of what could be in store for him when they meet in the last eight.
"I remember that every match I've played against him he was really tough. In Grand Slams, in Masters 1000s, all tournaments I've played against him it wasn't easy at all," Alcaraz said.
"I lost a few matches against him as well. He's in the quarter-finals of another Grand Slam, so his level is really high right now. He has a lot of confidence, I'm pretty sure. It's going to be an interesting match.
"I'll try to keep going, trying to be better. I'll try to learn from the mistakes I made today. I'm not going to make the same against Tommy, but I think for the people it's going to be a really interesting match to watch." REUTERS
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
3 hours ago
- Straits Times
Dortmund defender Suele out for two months with muscle injury
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - FIFA Club World Cup - Quarter Final - Real Madrid v Borussia Dortmund - MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey, U.S. - July 5, 2025 Borussia Dortmund's Niklas Sule during the warm up before the match REUTERS/Jeenah Moon/File Photo BERLIN -Borussia Dortmund defender Niklas Suele will be sidelined for about two months after picking up a calf muscle injury in Sunday's pre-season friendly against Juventus, the Bundesliga club said on Monday. The 29-year-old centre-back came on for Mats Hummels after 18 minutes but was taken off at halftime in the 2-1 loss, having suffered the problem without the involvement of another player. Suele will miss this week's German Cup first-round tie at Essen and the first part of the Bundesliga season, with Dortmund kicking off their league campaign at St Pauli on August 23. The Ruhr valley club, who finished fourth last season, will also compete in the Champions League league phase. REUTERS
Straits Times
3 hours ago
- Straits Times
Barca-Villarreal LaLiga match in Miami moves closer after RFEF approval
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox MADRID - Spanish football could finally cross the Atlantic after the Royal Spanish Football Federation approved a request for Barcelona and Villarreal to play their December LaLiga match in Miami – a move nearly a decade in the making. The RFEF board gave the green light on Monday for the teams' matchday 17 game to be played at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on December 20 in the first step towards the competition playing an official match abroad for the first time in its history. The proposal now heads to European soccer's governing body UEFA before requiring final approval from FIFA – the last hurdle in LaLiga President Javier Tebas' American dream. "At its meeting on 11 August 2025, the RFEF Board of Directors received a request from Villarreal CF and FC Barcelona to play their match on matchday 17 of the first division in the United States," RFEF said in a statement. "... the Royal Spanish Football Federation will submit the request to UEFA to begin the process for subsequent authorisation by FIFA for the match to be played at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on 20 December 2025 ..." LaLiga has been pursuing their transatlantic vision for almost a decade, emulating the strategy employed by the NFL and NBA to establish themselves in other markets. Tebas' first attempt came in the 2018-19 season with a proposed Girona-Barca match in the U.S. that never materialised. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Business Lower-wage retail workers to receive up to 6% pay bump from Sept 1 Singapore Keppel to sell M1's telco business to Simba for $1.43b, says deal expected to benefit consumers Singapore ST Explains: Who owns Simba, the company that is buying M1? Singapore Telco price undercutting expected to subside after sale of M1 to Simba: Analysts Singapore ST Explains: What is Vers and which HDB estates could it be rolled out in? Singapore For Vers to work, compensation should account for varied needs of HDB flat owners: Observers World US military is preparing to deploy National Guard in Washington, official says Singapore Ong Ye Kung rebuts complaints about treatment of stallholders at Bukit Canberra Hawker Centre A planned Villarreal-Atletico fixture for 2019-20 also fell through, with the matter ending up in the courts after the RFEF refused authorisation. The courts sided with the Spanish Federation, then under Luis Rubiales, who was sacked in 2023 for kissing team player Jenni Hermoso on the mouth celebrating Spain's women's World Cup victory in Sydney. There was another near-miss last season, with a Barcelona-Atletico match almost proceeding before LaLiga pulled back at the last minute to better structure the project. Now, with regulatory barriers cleared and internal conflicts resolved, the Villarreal-Barca clash appears poised to finally deliver Spanish football's long-awaited American adventure. REUTERS
Straits Times
3 hours ago
- Straits Times
Atletico sign Italy forward Raspadori from Napoli
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Atletico Madrid have signed Italy forward Giacomo Raspadori from Napoli on a five-year contract, the LaLiga club said on Monday, with Italian media reporting that the deal is worth a total of 26 million euros ($30.14 million). Raspadori began his career with Sassuolo, before joining Napoli on a loan deal in 2022, winning the Serie A title in his first campaign at the club, with the move made permanent at the end of that season. The 25-year-old won his second Scudetto with Napoli last season, and has made a total of 88 league appearances for the club, scoring 13 goals, but the majority of his game time has come from the bench. Raspadori was part of Italy's triumphant Euro 2020 squad, and has scored nine goals for his country in 40 appearances. REUTERS
