Alcaraz turns himself in over broken rule during French Open win over Shelton

The Guardian

2 days ago

Carlos Alcaraz called himself out for breaking the rules at the French Open and conceded a point during his fourth-round victory over Ben Shelton on Sunday.
Early in the second set, Shelton whipped a passing shot well out of Alcaraz's reach. The Spaniard flung his racket and, as it flipped through the air, the strings somehow not only made contact with the ball but sent it back over the net.
Initially, the defending champion was awarded the point. But he told the chair umpire that he had broken the rules because he wasn't holding his racket when it touched the ball. The point went to Shelton, and the Court Philippe-Chatrier crowd gave Alcaraz a round of applause.
The moment came at what could have been a critical moment in the match, which Alcaraz won 7-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4. Instead of leading 40-30 on his serve, Alcaraz was now down 30-40, giving his American opponent his first break point of the match. But Alcaraz saved that one – and five others in that 20-point game – along the way to taking a two-set lead.
The 13th-seeded Shelton, twice a semi-finalist at majors, delivered serves at up to 143 mph and forehands at up to 116 mph. Alcaraz, already a four-time Grand Slam champion, showed off his own power through the match.
'We entertained the people. He is a really powerful player. He can make any shot. I think we played really great tennis. Drops, coming to the net, big shots, and we stayed there in the whole match,' Alcaraz said after the match. 'For me, it is great having Ben around, a great energy for tennis and for the people. I love watching him play.'
It was tighter than the score might indicate: Shelton had several opportunities to take the first-set tiebreaker. But Alcaraz – who meets another American, Tommy Paul, in the quarter-finals on Tuesday – converted his second set point, closing a 15-stroke exchange with a down-the-line forehand that drew a mistake from Shelton.
The third set went to Shelton when Alcaraz put a forehand into the net, and the big-swinging American punched the air, then his chest, and screamed: 'Let's go, baby! Come on!' The fourth swung Alcaraz's way when he used a drop shot winner to set up a break point that he claimed for a 2-1 edge and, after three hours and 19 minutes, he was able to finish off an 11th consecutive win at Roland-Garros.
Earlier on Sunday, Paul beat Alexei Popyrin, 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 to become the first American man to reach the French Open quarters since Andre Agassi in 2003. He was joined soon afterwards by his compatriot Frances Tiafoe, who beat Germany's Daniel Altmaier in straights sets.