Carlos Alcaraz wobbles but reaches French Open last 16
Spain's Carlos Alcaraz celebrates after winning his match against Bosnia and Herzegovina's Damir Dzumhur. PHOTO: AFP
PARIS - Reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz stumbled his way into the last 16 of the French Open on May 30 with a 6-1, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 win over Bosnian world number 69 Damir Dzumhur.
Second seed Alcaraz broke twice in each of the first two sets and seemed to be cruising but a dogged Dzumhur refused to roll over and pinched the third set.
The 33-year-old Dzumhur had failed to get past the first round of qualifying at Roland Garros in his last four attempts, but he broke to open the fourth set and give Alcaraz greater cause for concern.
Alcaraz's frustration grew when three break points slipped beyond his grasp the very next game. He eventually got back on serve at 3-3 though before another break put him within sight of victory.
The Spaniard couldn't close it out initially but then earned a pair of match points on Dzumhur's serve, finally getting across the line at the second attempt to end his rival's spirited effort.
'Today, I honestly didn't enjoy it that much. I suffered quite a lot,' said a relieved Alcaraz.
'That's why doing a really good result in a Grand Slam is really difficult because you have to maintain a really high level for three to four hours.'
Alcaraz said he had to dig deep after admitting his energy levels dropped after a dominant first two sets.
'It was really difficult for me to boost myself. I had to give everything I had inside me. In the end I'm just proud about getting the win.'
Four-time Grand Slam winner Alcaraz advances to face US 13th seed Ben Shelton for a place in the quarter-finals after picking up his 18th win in 19 matches on clay this season.
Australian Open semi-finalist Shelton is one of four Americans still in the men's draw. He knocked out Italian qualifier Matteo Gigante in straight sets after receiving a walkover in the second round. AFP
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
20 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Swiatek digs herself out of deep hole to reach French Open last eight
Tennis - French Open - Roland Garros, Paris, France - June 1, 2025 Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina in action during her fourth round match against Poland's Iga Swiatek REUTERS/Denis Balibouse Swiatek digs herself out of deep hole to reach French Open last eight PARIS - Four-times champion Iga Swiatek clawed her way back from the brink to qualify for the French Open quarter-finals as she beat her clay court nemesis Elena Rybakina after a high-octane decider on Sunday. The fifth-seeded Pole looked out of sorts as she trailed 6-1 2-0 on Court Philippe Chatrier, leaving the crowd stunned, but Swiatek found her groove and some grit to prevail 1-6 6-3 7-5. Her final opponent from last year, Jasmine Paolini, was on the wrong end of another dramatic last-16 clash against 13th seed Elina Svitolina of Ukraine as the Italian wasted three match points in a 4-6 7-6(6) 6-1 defeat. Svitolina will provide the next test for Swiatek, who continues her quest to become the first female player since tennis turned professional to claim the singles' title four times in a row at Roland Garros. The only women to win the singles at Roland Garros in four straight years were Jeanne Matthey from 1909-12 and Suzanne Lenglen from 1920-23 when only French players competed. Since tennis turned professional in 1968, Swiatek is one of three women with Monica Seles and Justine Henin to enjoy three consecutive triumphs in Paris and on Sunday it looked like her quest for a fourth straight was going to crash to a halt. The 12th-seeded Rybakina made a bullet start, putting Swiatek on the back foot with some powerful baseline play and racing to a 5-0 lead, threatening to inflict on the former world number one her first bagel at a Grand Slam. "It was as if I was playing (men's world number one and heavy hitter) Jannik Sinner," Swiatek joked. DOUBLE FAULTS If there was any sign that Swiatek was rattled, it was her three double faults at 2-2 in the second set. The fifth seed still held though and it proved to be a turning point as she went on to break to love and move 4-2 up, bagging 10 consecutive points in the process to send the clash into a decider. At 4-4, with Rybakina serving at 15-40, the Kazakh appeared to have double-faulted on break point. Both players were walking towards their benches when chair umpire Kader Nouni's deep voice overruled the line judge's call. The reversal – met with murmurs from the crowd – offered Rybakina an unexpected lifeline as the air filled with electricity. Swiatek later saved a game point with a blistering forehand winner, but it was Rybakina who ultimately secured the crucial hold, shifting the weight of expectation squarely onto her opponent's shoulders. Swiatek cooled down and held, then broke and finished it off on the second match point before unleashing a huge scream and bumping her chest in a mix of released anger and relief. "In the first set, with her playing like that I felt I did not have a single chance," said Swiatek, who had lost to Rybakina in their two previous encounters on clay. "Using the top spin was the plan from the beginning but I did not feel she gave me the space to do that. But I'm happy that I was patient enough to stay in the game and use any opportunity that came to me." Elsewhere in the top half of the draw, Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen battled on, the Chinese eighth seed overcoming Russia's Liudmila Samsonova 7-6(5) 1-6 6-3, with a potential clash against world number one Aryna Sabalenka looming. In the men's draw, world number 12 Tommy Paul blitzed Australian Alexei Popyrin 6-3 6-3 6-3 to become the first American male player to reach the French Open quarter-finals in 22 years. Paul matched Andre Agassi's run from 2003 after Americans on Saturday equalled a 40-year-old record with five women and three men reaching round four of the clay court Grand Slam. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
CNA
29 minutes ago
- CNA
Swiatek digs herself out of deep hole to reach French Open last eight
PARIS :Four-times champion Iga Swiatek clawed her way back from the brink to qualify for the French Open quarter-finals as she beat her clay court nemesis Elena Rybakina after a high-octane decider on Sunday. The fifth-seeded Pole looked out of sorts as she trailed 6-1 2-0 on Court Philippe Chatrier, leaving the crowd stunned, but Swiatek found her groove and some grit to prevail 1-6 6-3 7-5. Her final opponent from last year, Jasmine Paolini, was on the wrong end of another dramatic last-16 clash against 13th seed Elina Svitolina of Ukraine as the Italian wasted three match points in a 4-6 7-6(6) 6-1 defeat. Svitolina will provide the next test for Swiatek, who continues her quest to become the first female player since tennis turned professional to claim the singles' title four times in a row at Roland Garros. The only women to win the singles at Roland Garros in four straight years were Jeanne Matthey from 1909-12 and Suzanne Lenglen from 1920-23 when only French players competed. Since tennis turned professional in 1968, Swiatek is one of three women with Monica Seles and Justine Henin to enjoy three consecutive triumphs in Paris and on Sunday it looked like her quest for a fourth straight was going to crash to a halt. The 12th-seeded Rybakina made a bullet start, putting Swiatek on the back foot with some powerful baseline play and racing to a 5-0 lead, threatening to inflict on the former world number one her first bagel at a Grand Slam. "It was as if I was playing (men's world number one and heavy hitter) Jannik Sinner," Swiatek joked. DOUBLE FAULTS If there was any sign that Swiatek was rattled, it was her three double faults at 2-2 in the second set. The fifth seed still held though and it proved to be a turning point as she went on to break to love and move 4-2 up, bagging 10 consecutive points in the process to send the clash into a decider. At 4-4, with Rybakina serving at 15-40, the Kazakh appeared to have double-faulted on break point. Both players were walking towards their benches when chair umpire Kader Nouni's deep voice overruled the line judge's call. The reversal – met with murmurs from the crowd – offered Rybakina an unexpected lifeline as the air filled with electricity. Swiatek later saved a game point with a blistering forehand winner, but it was Rybakina who ultimately secured the crucial hold, shifting the weight of expectation squarely onto her opponent's shoulders. Swiatek cooled down and held, then broke and finished it off on the second match point before unleashing a huge scream and bumping her chest in a mix of released anger and relief. "In the first set, with her playing like that I felt I did not have a single chance," said Swiatek, who had lost to Rybakina in their two previous encounters on clay. "Using the top spin was the plan from the beginning but I did not feel she gave me the space to do that. But I'm happy that I was patient enough to stay in the game and use any opportunity that came to me." Elsewhere in the top half of the draw, Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen battled on, the Chinese eighth seed overcoming Russia's Liudmila Samsonova 7-6(5) 1-6 6-3, with a potential clash against world number one Aryna Sabalenka looming. In the men's draw, world number 12 Tommy Paul blitzed Australian Alexei Popyrin 6-3 6-3 6-3 to become the first American male player to reach the French Open quarter-finals in 22 years. Paul matched Andre Agassi's run from 2003 after Americans on Saturday equalled a 40-year-old record with five women and three men reaching round four of the clay court Grand Slam.
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Zheng subdues Samsonova to reach maiden French Open quarter-final
PARIS - Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen continued her French Open campaign in battling fashion as the Chinese eighth seed overcame Russia's Liudmila Samsonova 7-6(5) 1-6 6-3 to reach the quarter-finals at Roland Garros on Sunday. Zheng swapped a pair of breaks with her 19th-seeded opponent in the opening set and fought back from 4-2 down in the tiebreak to get her nose in front before allowing big-hitting Samsonova to hold in a tense first game of the second set. The Russian broke to love in the next game and struck again later to draw level in the match, leaving Zheng with a big fight on her hands to reach her maiden Roland Garros quarter-final at the site of her Paris Games triumph last year. Zheng showed the mettle of a gold medallist, however, as the 22-year-old broke for a 4-2 lead and shrugged off a poor service game to get ahead 5-3 before securing victory when Samsonova made an unforced error. "Right now I feel incredible because I've been dreaming of reaching this stage, it did not happen in 2023 and 2024. I have no words to describe my emotions right now," said Zheng, who dropped to the ground in celebration. "The crowd helped me a lot, they gave me a lot of energy. I like to play in front of a lot of people. It gives me a lot of motivation. I hope I can stay longer in Roland Garros. "It was an intense match. She put me under a lot of pressure and I ran a lot behind the baseline. But I have a lot of energy. I can play five sets if needed. My body is feeling great and I will push till the end. Zheng takes on either world number one Aryna Sabalenka or Amanda Anisimova in the next round. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
