Alcaraz stops Shelton and returns to French Open quarter-finals
PARIS: Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz etched his name deeper in clay by overcoming American Ben Shelton 7-6(8) 6-3 4-6 6-4 for his 100th tour-level win on the surface to reach the French Open quarter-finals for a fourth successive year on Sunday.
The 22-year-old Spaniard endured a shaky outing against Damir Dzumhur in his last match and was dragged into a dogfight by big-serving Shelton on Court Philippe Chatrier before he pulled away to book a meeting with another American in Tommy Paul.
"Today I fought against myself, in my mind," said Alcaraz.
"I tried to calm myself as I was mad, angry and talking not really good things. I'm really happy not to let those thoughts play against me. I tried to calm myself and keep going."
Alcaraz missed his only breakpoint opportunity in the first 12 games and clawed back from 1-4 down in the tiebreak before he saved three set points to clinch an entertaining opening stanza when Shelton sent a shot into the net.
The second seed's serve came under immense pressure in a 12-minute opening game of the second set, but he staved off Shelton six times to hold, and edged in front with forehand thunderbolts that forced his opponent into mistakes.
Shelton persevered and took a 3-1 lead in the third set but allowed Alcaraz back into the game, only to regain composure and pull a set back to give himself a chance to secure the biggest victory of his career.
It was not to be as Alcaraz wrested complete control in the fourth set and quelled the challenge of the 13th seed, finishing him off on serve with a booming forehand on his second matchpoint to let out a roar.
"We both have huge respect for each other," added Alcaraz.
"Every time we face each other, we bring a high level and play good tennis. He's a really powerful player and can make any shot ... he's an unbelievable player.
"We played complete tennis, big shots, coming to the net, big forehands ... We stayed there during the whole match. For me, it's great having him around, it's a great energy." - Reuters
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Free Malaysia Today
18 minutes ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Top seed Sabalenka battles past Zheng to reach French Open semis
French Open top seed Aryna Sabalenka is chasing her sixth Grand Slam final berth. (AP pic) PARIS : World No 1 Aryna Sabalenka ended Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen's winning streak on the Paris clay with a straight-sets victory today to seal herself a spot in the French Open semi-finals. The top seed from Belarus won through 7-6(7/3), 6-3 against the Chinese eighth seed in just under two hours on Court Philippe Chatrier. She next plays either three-time defending champion Iga Swiatek of Poland or Ukraine's Elina Svitolina for a place in the final. The 27-year-old fought back after struggling in the first set against Zheng, who had beaten her in the last eight on clay in Rome last month, extending her record against the Chinese player to 7-1. 'The last tournament I was pretty exhausted,' said Sabalenka. 'Today I was more fresh I was ready to battle, to fight and give everything. 'Honestly, I was actually glad that I lost that match because I needed a little break before Roland Garros.' Today, Sabalenka once again got the upper hand over Zheng, who had been on a winning streak of 10 matches on the Paris clay after her run to Olympic gold last year. Zheng broke and led 4-2 in the first set. But numerous unforced errors – 31 in total – allowed the Belarusian to come back. The second set was also tight before Sabalenka broke back to lead 4-3, taking advantage of her opponent's errors. 'True battle' Sabalenka converted her first match point on a poorly-controlled drop-shot from Zheng to reach her seventh semi-final of the season. 'That was a true battle. Honestly I have no idea how I was able to break her back and get back in the first set,' said Sabalenka. 'I was just trying to fight and I was just trying to put as many balls as I could back in. I didn't start well but I'm really glad I found my rhythm and won this match. It was a tough one. 'I was just more fresh today and I was ready to battle, fight and leave everything that I have on court to get this win. I think that's about it.' Sabalenka advances to her 11th Major semi-final overall, and her second in Paris following her run in 2023, which ended in a three-set loss to Czech Karolina Muchova. 'I think we are all here for one reason, everyone wants that beautiful trophy,' said Madrid Open winner Sabalenka. 'I'm really glad that I have another opportunity, another semi-final, to do better than I did last time. I'm ready to go out there and fight and compete for every point.' A three-time Grand Slam winner – winning the Australian Open in 2023 and 2024 and the reigning US Open champion – Sabalenka is chasing her sixth Grand Slam final berth.
The Star
36 minutes ago
- The Star
Swimming-World Aquatics adopts bylaw to stop doping enablers amid Enhanced Games furore
FILE PHOTO: Swimming - European Aquatics Championships - Sports and Recreational Center Milan Gale Muskatirovic, Belgrade, Serbia - June 23, 2024 Gold medallist, Greece's Kristian Gkolomeev poses with his medal on the podium after winning the men's 50m freestyle final REUTERS/Novak Djurovic/File Photo (Reuters) -World Aquatics introduced a new bylaw on Tuesday that will prevent any athlete or official who supports or endorses doping from competing or holding any positions after a Greek swimmer supported by the Enhanced Games 'broke' the world record. With the help of the controversial programme, Greece's Kristian Gkolomeev swam the men's 50 metres freestyle in 20.89 seconds to shave 0.02 seconds off the long-standing record set by Brazil's Cesar Cielo in 2009. Gkolomeev, who has competed at four Olympics and came fifth in the event at the Paris Games last year with a time of 21.59 seconds, said he had gained "an extra 10 pounds of muscle" before the attempt. Enhanced Games had declined to disclose which "performance enhancements" the 31-year-old used. "Individuals who support, endorse, or participate in sporting events that embrace the use of scientific advancements or other practices ... will not be eligible to hold positions with World Aquatics or to participate in any World Aquatics competitions, events, or other activities," World Aquatics said. The practices can include either prohibited substances or prohibited methods. "This ineligibility would apply to roles such as athlete, coach, team official, administrator, medical support staff, or government representative," the governing body added. The Enhanced Games operate under the principle that banning performance-enhancing drugs in major competitions does not protect athletes but rather stifles their performance, and called on athletes to join the competition. The World Anti-Doping Agency had condemned the Enhanced Games as "dangerous and irresponsible", while Olympic 50 metres freestyle champion Cam McEvoy said Gkolomeev's time was 'irrelevant' to the sport. "Those who enable doped sport are not welcome at World Aquatics or our events," World Aquatics president Husain Al Musallam said. "This new bylaw ensures that we can continue to protect the integrity of our competitions, the health and safety of our athletes, and the credibility of the global aquatics community." The Enhanced Games have set their inaugural competition for May 2026 in Las Vegas, with swimming, athletics and weightlifting on the agenda. (Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Ken Ferris)
The Star
36 minutes ago
- The Star
Tennis-Sabalenka calls for marquee women's matches to start later at French Open
Tennis - French Open - Roland Garros, Paris, France - June 3, 2025 Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka reacts during her quarter final match against China's Qinwen Zheng REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq PARIS (Reuters) -World number one Aryna Sabalenka and Paris Olympics champion Zheng Qinwen began their French Open quarter-final in front of a small crowd on Tuesday, prompting calls for such high-profile matches to be moved to later slots to showcase them better. A sumptuous lunch often takes priority for fans in Court Philippe Chatrier's corporate seats and the Parisian cultural practice leaves many seats unoccupied in the showcourt when matches begin at 11 a.m. local time. Sabalenka overcame her Chinese opponent 7-6(3) 6-3 in just under two hours to leave her with the rest of the day off but the Belarusian said organisers could do better despite fans trickling in later to improve the atmosphere. "I didn't really look in the crowd, but it felt like it was a lot of people. Yeah, it was a big match and it probably would make more sense to put us a bit later just so more people could watch it," Sabalenka told reporters. "At the same time, I'm happy to finish earlier and then I have a half-day off, and I can just enjoy the city and do all the things that I have to do." Reuters has contacted organisers for comment. The French Open's scheduling decisions have come under a harsh spotlight again this year with no women's match featured in the evening sessions which begin at 8.15 p.m. local time and are exclusively broadcast by Amazon Prime in France. French Open tournament director Amelie Mauresmo said last week that women's matches, played over a maximum of three sets as opposed to the five on the men's side, could finish "really fast" and having an extra match in that slot was unfeasible. "We deserve the equal treatment," Sabalenka said. "There were a lot of great battles, a lot of great matches, which would be cool to see as a night session (match), just more people in the stands watching these incredible battles and to show ourselves to more people. "I definitely agree that we deserve to be put in a bigger stage, like better timing and more people watching." Sabalenka will continue her bid for a maiden French Open title against four-times champion Iga Swiatek. "I love tough challenges," she added. "These are the matches where you actually improve as a player, and where you get much stronger. I'm always excited to face someone strong and someone who can challenge me. "I will go out there and fight, and I'm ready to leave everything I have to get the win." (Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Paris, editing by Ed Osmond)
