'Angry' Alcaraz wins mind battle, 100th clay victory
Carlos Alcaraz is such a constant ray of sunshine on court that it always seems a surprise when a darker, chuntering mood descends.
Yet the Spaniard was still able to win the battle with his own mind to earn his 100th tour clay-court victory and advance to the French Open quarter-finals.
The 22-year-old subdued dangerous Ben Shelton 7-6 (10-8) 6-3 4-6 6-4 on Court Philippe Chatrier on Sunday, meaning he's now lost a set in each of the last three matches of his title defence.
They've all featured spells of familiar stellar quality but also careless patches - "dumb mistakes" as Alcaraz dubbed them - that have begun to irritate him even if, in truth, they've never looked like derailing him.
Still, just as he laboured a little to get past Damir Dzumhur in the previous round, there was evidently a slight feeling of relief for the 22-year-old that he had at last managed to get past the booming US leftie Shelton in three hours 19 minutes.
"Honestly, today I fought against myself in the mind," said Alcaraz.
"I just tried to calm myself - in some moments I was mad.
"I was angry with myself, talking not good things. I'm happy that I didn't let that thought play against me.
"I tried to calm myself and tried to keep going."
He did keep going and the crowd couldn't have loved him more, especially when he owned up that one seemingly amazing winner he'd hit shouldn't count.
He had flung his racquet out at full stretch to get to a Shelton passing shot and, miraculously, pulled off what looked to everyone like a winning volley. He was awarded the point, but admitted to the chair umpire that his hand wasn't holding the racquet and got a rousing ovation from the crowd for his sportsmanship.
"I would have felt guilty if I didn't say anything," Alcaraz explained.
"It's just about the respect we have against each other."
Alcaraz, after 19 wins in 20 clay-court matches this season now, will be hot favourite to get past his next obstacle too, even though 12th seed Tommy Paul looked a potentially troublesome last-eight foe as he outclassed Australian Alexei Popyrin 6-3 6-3 6-3.
The first American man to reach the French Open quarters in 22 years since Andre Agassi, Paul loves pitting himself against the Spaniard and had beaten him a couple of times, though Alcaraz won their last encounter at Roland Garros in the Olympic quarter-final.
"I remember that every match I've played against him he was really tough," said Alcaraz.
"In grand slams, Masters 1000s, all tournaments I've played against him it wasn't easy at all. His level is really high right now.
"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."
Frances Tiafoe was another American to progress, defeating Daniel Altmaier, the German who had knocked out his US compatriot Taylor Fritz, 6-3 6-4 7-6 (7-4).
Tiafoe's next opponent will be Italian No.8 seed Lorenzo Musetti, who beat 10th seed Holger Rune 7-5 3-6 6-3 6-2 in a match that ended after midnight.
Carlos Alcaraz is such a constant ray of sunshine on court that it always seems a surprise when a darker, chuntering mood descends.
Yet the Spaniard was still able to win the battle with his own mind to earn his 100th tour clay-court victory and advance to the French Open quarter-finals.
The 22-year-old subdued dangerous Ben Shelton 7-6 (10-8) 6-3 4-6 6-4 on Court Philippe Chatrier on Sunday, meaning he's now lost a set in each of the last three matches of his title defence.
They've all featured spells of familiar stellar quality but also careless patches - "dumb mistakes" as Alcaraz dubbed them - that have begun to irritate him even if, in truth, they've never looked like derailing him.
Still, just as he laboured a little to get past Damir Dzumhur in the previous round, there was evidently a slight feeling of relief for the 22-year-old that he had at last managed to get past the booming US leftie Shelton in three hours 19 minutes.
"Honestly, today I fought against myself in the mind," said Alcaraz.
"I just tried to calm myself - in some moments I was mad.
"I was angry with myself, talking not good things. I'm happy that I didn't let that thought play against me.
"I tried to calm myself and tried to keep going."
He did keep going and the crowd couldn't have loved him more, especially when he owned up that one seemingly amazing winner he'd hit shouldn't count.
He had flung his racquet out at full stretch to get to a Shelton passing shot and, miraculously, pulled off what looked to everyone like a winning volley. He was awarded the point, but admitted to the chair umpire that his hand wasn't holding the racquet and got a rousing ovation from the crowd for his sportsmanship.
"I would have felt guilty if I didn't say anything," Alcaraz explained.
"It's just about the respect we have against each other."
Alcaraz, after 19 wins in 20 clay-court matches this season now, will be hot favourite to get past his next obstacle too, even though 12th seed Tommy Paul looked a potentially troublesome last-eight foe as he outclassed Australian Alexei Popyrin 6-3 6-3 6-3.
The first American man to reach the French Open quarters in 22 years since Andre Agassi, Paul loves pitting himself against the Spaniard and had beaten him a couple of times, though Alcaraz won their last encounter at Roland Garros in the Olympic quarter-final.
"I remember that every match I've played against him he was really tough," said Alcaraz.
"In grand slams, Masters 1000s, all tournaments I've played against him it wasn't easy at all. His level is really high right now.
"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."
Frances Tiafoe was another American to progress, defeating Daniel Altmaier, the German who had knocked out his US compatriot Taylor Fritz, 6-3 6-4 7-6 (7-4).
Tiafoe's next opponent will be Italian No.8 seed Lorenzo Musetti, who beat 10th seed Holger Rune 7-5 3-6 6-3 6-2 in a match that ended after midnight.
Carlos Alcaraz is such a constant ray of sunshine on court that it always seems a surprise when a darker, chuntering mood descends.
Yet the Spaniard was still able to win the battle with his own mind to earn his 100th tour clay-court victory and advance to the French Open quarter-finals.
The 22-year-old subdued dangerous Ben Shelton 7-6 (10-8) 6-3 4-6 6-4 on Court Philippe Chatrier on Sunday, meaning he's now lost a set in each of the last three matches of his title defence.
They've all featured spells of familiar stellar quality but also careless patches - "dumb mistakes" as Alcaraz dubbed them - that have begun to irritate him even if, in truth, they've never looked like derailing him.
Still, just as he laboured a little to get past Damir Dzumhur in the previous round, there was evidently a slight feeling of relief for the 22-year-old that he had at last managed to get past the booming US leftie Shelton in three hours 19 minutes.
"Honestly, today I fought against myself in the mind," said Alcaraz.
"I just tried to calm myself - in some moments I was mad.
"I was angry with myself, talking not good things. I'm happy that I didn't let that thought play against me.
"I tried to calm myself and tried to keep going."
He did keep going and the crowd couldn't have loved him more, especially when he owned up that one seemingly amazing winner he'd hit shouldn't count.
He had flung his racquet out at full stretch to get to a Shelton passing shot and, miraculously, pulled off what looked to everyone like a winning volley. He was awarded the point, but admitted to the chair umpire that his hand wasn't holding the racquet and got a rousing ovation from the crowd for his sportsmanship.
"I would have felt guilty if I didn't say anything," Alcaraz explained.
"It's just about the respect we have against each other."
Alcaraz, after 19 wins in 20 clay-court matches this season now, will be hot favourite to get past his next obstacle too, even though 12th seed Tommy Paul looked a potentially troublesome last-eight foe as he outclassed Australian Alexei Popyrin 6-3 6-3 6-3.
The first American man to reach the French Open quarters in 22 years since Andre Agassi, Paul loves pitting himself against the Spaniard and had beaten him a couple of times, though Alcaraz won their last encounter at Roland Garros in the Olympic quarter-final.
"I remember that every match I've played against him he was really tough," said Alcaraz.
"In grand slams, Masters 1000s, all tournaments I've played against him it wasn't easy at all. His level is really high right now.
"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."
Frances Tiafoe was another American to progress, defeating Daniel Altmaier, the German who had knocked out his US compatriot Taylor Fritz, 6-3 6-4 7-6 (7-4).
Tiafoe's next opponent will be Italian No.8 seed Lorenzo Musetti, who beat 10th seed Holger Rune 7-5 3-6 6-3 6-2 in a match that ended after midnight.
Carlos Alcaraz is such a constant ray of sunshine on court that it always seems a surprise when a darker, chuntering mood descends.
Yet the Spaniard was still able to win the battle with his own mind to earn his 100th tour clay-court victory and advance to the French Open quarter-finals.
The 22-year-old subdued dangerous Ben Shelton 7-6 (10-8) 6-3 4-6 6-4 on Court Philippe Chatrier on Sunday, meaning he's now lost a set in each of the last three matches of his title defence.
They've all featured spells of familiar stellar quality but also careless patches - "dumb mistakes" as Alcaraz dubbed them - that have begun to irritate him even if, in truth, they've never looked like derailing him.
Still, just as he laboured a little to get past Damir Dzumhur in the previous round, there was evidently a slight feeling of relief for the 22-year-old that he had at last managed to get past the booming US leftie Shelton in three hours 19 minutes.
"Honestly, today I fought against myself in the mind," said Alcaraz.
"I just tried to calm myself - in some moments I was mad.
"I was angry with myself, talking not good things. I'm happy that I didn't let that thought play against me.
"I tried to calm myself and tried to keep going."
He did keep going and the crowd couldn't have loved him more, especially when he owned up that one seemingly amazing winner he'd hit shouldn't count.
He had flung his racquet out at full stretch to get to a Shelton passing shot and, miraculously, pulled off what looked to everyone like a winning volley. He was awarded the point, but admitted to the chair umpire that his hand wasn't holding the racquet and got a rousing ovation from the crowd for his sportsmanship.
"I would have felt guilty if I didn't say anything," Alcaraz explained.
"It's just about the respect we have against each other."
Alcaraz, after 19 wins in 20 clay-court matches this season now, will be hot favourite to get past his next obstacle too, even though 12th seed Tommy Paul looked a potentially troublesome last-eight foe as he outclassed Australian Alexei Popyrin 6-3 6-3 6-3.
The first American man to reach the French Open quarters in 22 years since Andre Agassi, Paul loves pitting himself against the Spaniard and had beaten him a couple of times, though Alcaraz won their last encounter at Roland Garros in the Olympic quarter-final.
"I remember that every match I've played against him he was really tough," said Alcaraz.
"In grand slams, Masters 1000s, all tournaments I've played against him it wasn't easy at all. His level is really high right now.
"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."
Frances Tiafoe was another American to progress, defeating Daniel Altmaier, the German who had knocked out his US compatriot Taylor Fritz, 6-3 6-4 7-6 (7-4).
Tiafoe's next opponent will be Italian No.8 seed Lorenzo Musetti, who beat 10th seed Holger Rune 7-5 3-6 6-3 6-2 in a match that ended after midnight.
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More than 50,000 fans are set to descend on Optus Stadium on Thursday night to watch Australia's crunch World Cup qualifier against arch rivals Japan. A win for the Socceroos would all but lock in their automatic qualification for the 2026 World Cup, but a loss or a draw would mean their fate would likely be decided in a high-stakes clash with Saudi Arabia in Jeddah next Tuesday. Circati's hopes of appearing in this international window looked gone when he tore the ACL in his left knee while training with his Serie A side Parma in September last year. Most soccer players who undergo a knee reconstruction take nine months or more to return. Sam Kerr's current recovery is at a whopping 16 months and counting, albeit with another setback along the way. But Circati was back for Parma by May 18 - just seven-and-a-half months after surgery. The 21-year-old impressed in back-to-back 90-minute performances for Parma last month, convincing Socceroos coach Tony Popovic that the centre back was ready for another international call-up. Circati, who is being touted as the next big thing in Australian soccer, revealed playing this week was a big driver during his rehabilitation. "I was ready to play even earlier, but the club slowed it down rather than sped it up," Circati said in Perth on Wednesday. "When you first get your surgery and start your rehab, they ask you, 'What's your goal, what are you trying to accomplish?' "I said, 'Look there's two World Cup qualifiers in June, my goal is to be able to go there'. "I'm lucky enough to be able to do that." The road to an international recall wasn't easy. "I was doing rehab six hours a day," Circati said. "I didn't have much free time. I don't think I had a single day off, other than the break over Christmas and New Years. "It was 9-12 in the morning, go home and have lunch, be back at 2pm and go until 5, 5.30pm. "It's not easy. I wouldn't tell anyone that it's easy. You've just got to be determined to be back better than what you were before." Boosting Australia's victory chances is the fact that Japan have named an inexperienced squad, given they have already secured World Cup qualification. Overseas stars such as Kaoru Mitoma (Brighton & Hove Albion), Daizen Maida (Celtic), Reo Hatate (Celtic), Takumi Minamino (Monaco), Ritsu Doan (Freiburg), Junya Ito (Reims) and Hidemasa Morita (Sporting Lisbon) are among the big names missing. Nevertheless, Japan still boast plenty of talent and Socceroos striker Adam Taggart hopes Thursday night will become yet another famous occasion in Australian soccer. "I think everyone knows the John Aloisi penalty," Taggart said, in reference to the spot kick against Uruguay that clinched Australia's qualification for the 2006 World Cup, ending a 32-year drought. "It's replayed over and over again. "I was trying to explain to my mum the other day that the game (against Japan) is a similar situation to that. "The win puts us in a fantastic position to qualify. "So to be able to have the chance to create something special like some of those moments that the whole nation has seen over and over again - like a John Aloisi penalty or a Josh Kennedy header - is really special for all of us." Socceroos defender Alessandro Circati has opened up on the six-hour-a-day efforts he put in to make a swift return from a torn anterior cruciate ligament, saying the hard work was all worth it so he could play against Japan this week. More than 50,000 fans are set to descend on Optus Stadium on Thursday night to watch Australia's crunch World Cup qualifier against arch rivals Japan. A win for the Socceroos would all but lock in their automatic qualification for the 2026 World Cup, but a loss or a draw would mean their fate would likely be decided in a high-stakes clash with Saudi Arabia in Jeddah next Tuesday. Circati's hopes of appearing in this international window looked gone when he tore the ACL in his left knee while training with his Serie A side Parma in September last year. Most soccer players who undergo a knee reconstruction take nine months or more to return. Sam Kerr's current recovery is at a whopping 16 months and counting, albeit with another setback along the way. But Circati was back for Parma by May 18 - just seven-and-a-half months after surgery. The 21-year-old impressed in back-to-back 90-minute performances for Parma last month, convincing Socceroos coach Tony Popovic that the centre back was ready for another international call-up. Circati, who is being touted as the next big thing in Australian soccer, revealed playing this week was a big driver during his rehabilitation. "I was ready to play even earlier, but the club slowed it down rather than sped it up," Circati said in Perth on Wednesday. "When you first get your surgery and start your rehab, they ask you, 'What's your goal, what are you trying to accomplish?' "I said, 'Look there's two World Cup qualifiers in June, my goal is to be able to go there'. "I'm lucky enough to be able to do that." The road to an international recall wasn't easy. "I was doing rehab six hours a day," Circati said. "I didn't have much free time. I don't think I had a single day off, other than the break over Christmas and New Years. "It was 9-12 in the morning, go home and have lunch, be back at 2pm and go until 5, 5.30pm. "It's not easy. I wouldn't tell anyone that it's easy. You've just got to be determined to be back better than what you were before." Boosting Australia's victory chances is the fact that Japan have named an inexperienced squad, given they have already secured World Cup qualification. Overseas stars such as Kaoru Mitoma (Brighton & Hove Albion), Daizen Maida (Celtic), Reo Hatate (Celtic), Takumi Minamino (Monaco), Ritsu Doan (Freiburg), Junya Ito (Reims) and Hidemasa Morita (Sporting Lisbon) are among the big names missing. Nevertheless, Japan still boast plenty of talent and Socceroos striker Adam Taggart hopes Thursday night will become yet another famous occasion in Australian soccer. "I think everyone knows the John Aloisi penalty," Taggart said, in reference to the spot kick against Uruguay that clinched Australia's qualification for the 2006 World Cup, ending a 32-year drought. "It's replayed over and over again. "I was trying to explain to my mum the other day that the game (against Japan) is a similar situation to that. "The win puts us in a fantastic position to qualify. "So to be able to have the chance to create something special like some of those moments that the whole nation has seen over and over again - like a John Aloisi penalty or a Josh Kennedy header - is really special for all of us."
