Alcaraz wobbles but reaches French Open last 16
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.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
France 24
3 hours ago
- France 24
Alcaraz tackles Shelton for spot in French Open quarters as Swiatek faces old foe
Top seed Aryna Sabalenka will face past semi-finalist Amanda Anisimova, while fourth-ranked Jasmine Paolini is in action against one-time world number three Elina Svitolina. Lorenzo Musetti, who has reached at least the last four in all the clay court Masters events this season, will tackle Barcelona Open winner Holger Rune as the competition heats up on both sides of the draw. "Playing the defending champion, round of 16... centre court, that's a pretty cool opportunity, pretty cool experience, that not a lot of people get or see in their lifetime," said Shelton of facing Alcaraz. "For me, I'm definitely going to enjoy it and go out there and see what I can do, because I'm... starting to see some of my best tennis. "I like to think of myself as dangerous whenever I get to that place." Alcaraz has won both of his previous meetings with the American in straight sets, but the Spaniard has shown some signs of fragility so far at Roland Garros, dropping sets in his last two matches. In his second-round win over Fabian Marozsan, Alcaraz admitted he "couldn't handle" the 56th-ranked Hungarian's level at times as he lost the second set 6-4. After winning his third round match against 69th-ranked Bosnian Damir Dzumhur on Friday, the former world number one said: "Today I honestly didn't enjoy it that much. I suffered quite a lot." However, four-time Grand Slam winner Alcaraz has proved in the past he can battle through a sticky period and boasts an excellent record on clay this year, losing only once in the final at Barcelona either side of wins in Monte Carlo and Rome. The architect of that sole defeat, Rune, will be in night session action for his match with eighth seed Musetti. The Dane beat defending champion Alcaraz in straight sets in Catalonia, but the 10th seed has shown up-and-down form so far at Roland Garros, losing the opening set in two of his three matches so far. Musetti also endured a blip in the last round as he dropped his first set of the tournament against Argentinian Mariano Navone. "I think, again, as he (Musetti) said, he can't afford to give me the first set, and the same me, I can't afford to give him the first set like this," said Rune. "(I'm) looking forward to that match, it's going to be hopefully a great battle." Two more Americans complete the day's action on the men's side of the draw, with 12th seed Tommy Paul playing Australian Alexei Popyrin and 16th-ranked Frances Tiafoe facing Germany's Daniel Altmaier. Poker-face Swiatek Triple-defending champion Swiatek will face the lesser of two evils when she takes on 2022 Wimbledon winner Rybakina after the Kazakh emerged victorious against Jelena Ostapenko, who holds a remarkable 6-0 win/loss record over the Pole. "Both matches are going to be a challenge. But let's see who wins," said Swiatek before discovering her last 16 opponent. When asked if she had a preference between Rybakina and Ostapenko, the 23-year-old joked: "No... Am I a good liar? Let's say it doesn't matter, really. "Oh, my God. I couldn't play poker." But Swiatek's record against Rybakina is only marginally better, with the players being tied at 4-4, though the fifth side has won both meetings between the two this season. Their last match on clay came in Stuttgart in 2024, with 12th-seed Rybakina claiming victory in three sets. World number one Sabalenka has dropped just 10 games in reaching the fourth round, and will meet her first seeded player of the tournament against American Anisimova. Should the Belarusian advance to the quarter-final stage -- where she surprisingly lost last year to Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva -- it is likely she will there face Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen. The Chinese eighth seed will also take to the court on Sunday to do battle with 18th-ranked Russian Liudmila Samsonova. Last year's runner-up and current Italian Open champion Paolini will kickstart the day's action on Court Philippe Chatrier against four-time quarter-finalist Svitolina. © 2025 AFP
France 24
5 hours ago
- France 24
US women cruise past China in friendly win
Goals from Catarina Macario, Sam Coffey and Lindsey Heaps delivered a convincing win for the American women, who dominated a fragile Chinese side at Saint Paul, Minnesota. It was the 17th win in 21 games for the USA's English head coach Hayes, who was tasked with restoring the Americans to the summit of the women's game following their early 2023 World Cup exit. Hayes, who led the USA to a gold medal at last year's Olympics, is preparing her squad for this year's qualifiers for the 2027 World Cup in Brazil. The former Chelsea manager would have liked what she saw in a fluid first half performance that saw China's risky tactical decision to play with a high line punished ruthlessly. Macario opened the scoring after 28 minutes, bundling home a close-range finish after good work from Alyssa Thompson. The USA doubled their tally seven minutes later with a brilliantly worked goal, which began when the gifted 17-year-old midfielder Lily Yohannes released Thompson down the right who crossed for Macario. Macario played a short pass into Coffey, who swept home with aplomb. Macario and Heaps both threatened to add to the USA tally with long-range shots that were just off target before half-time. Heaps though bagged the USA's third in the 54th minute, nodding in past China goalkeeper Pan Hongyan to effectively seal the win. The USA face Jamaica in a friendly in on Tuesday.
France 24
7 hours ago
- France 24
PSG have achieved 'our ultimate goal', says Luis Enrique
Since their Qatari takeover in 2011, PSG have won 11 of the past 13 French titles but the grand prize for which the club had spent big had always eluded them. On Saturday, PSG sliced Inter to pieces at the Allianz Arena to emphatically put that right. Luis Enrique, who won the Champions League at the helm of Barcelona in Berlin in 2015, said he had his sights set on the title ever since he took over in the French capital in 2023. "On my first day at the PSG campus, my French was even worse than it is today. But I said the ultimate goal for me as a coach was to fill the trophy cabinet," the Spaniard said. "The only trophy missing was Champions League. And we've ticked that box. We were ambitious, and we did it. "It's in the bag and it's coming home with us tomorrow." The manager singled out forward Ousmane Dembele for special praise, calling him "incredible" and saying "he deserves to win the Ballon d'Or." The coach paid tribute to his daughter Xana, who passed away from cancer in 2019 aged nine. After the full-time whistle, the French fans unfurled a banner depicting father and daughter planting a PSG flag into the ground, just as the two had done with a Barcelona flag in Berlin a decade earlier. "It was emotional. It's beautiful that the supporters thought about me and my family. But I don't need to win the Champions League or even a game to think about my daughter," Luis Enrique said.
