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New Straits Times
7 hours ago
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Alcaraz fights into French Open last 16 as Swiatek, Sabalenka progress
PARIS: Carlos Alcaraz survived a scare to book his place in the French Open last 16 on Friday, with defending women's champion Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka also through to the fourth round at Roland Garros. Second seed Alcaraz won 6-1, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 against 69th-ranked Bosnian Damir Dzumhur in the night session to keep his title defence on course. Four-time Grand Slam champion Alcaraz arrived as the favourite at Roland Garros after securing the Monte Carlo Masters and Italian Open trophies in the build-up to the clay-court major. But his fluctuating performances in the past two rounds have given his rivals reason to believe he is vulnerable. "Today I honestly didn't enjoy it that much. I suffered quite a lot," said a relieved Alcaraz, who came from a break down in the fourth set to seal victory. "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." The 22-year-old next meets American 13th seed Ben Shelton who eased past Italian qualifier Matteo Gigante 6-3, 6-3, 6-4. Swiatek kept her bid for a fourth consecutive French Open title on track, coming through 6-2, 7-5 against Romania's world number 60 Jaqueline Cristian in sweltering conditions. Swiatek broke the 60th-ranked Cristian twice in a comfortable first set, but she was pushed a lot harder by her rival in the second and had to save six break points. "She really stepped up in the second set. I had to step up as well. It was an entertaining match," said Swiatek, hoping to become the first woman to win four successive Roland Garros titles since Suzanne Lenglen 102 years ago. The 23-year-old Pole will next play 12th seed Elena Rybakina after the Kazakh dispatched 2017 champion Jelena Ostapenko 6-2, 6-2 in a clash of big hitters. Swiatek has a 4-4 record against Rybakina but has lost both previous meetings on clay. However she was relieved at avoiding Ostapenko, who is 6-0 against her. A grinning Swiatek suggested earlier she had no preference as to her last-16 opponent before asking: "Am I a good liar?" "Let's say it doesn't matter, really. Oh, my God. I couldn't play poker," joked the world number five who has not won a title since last year's French Open. Sabalenka produced a dominant display in a 6-2, 6-3 win over 34th-ranked Serbian left-hander Olga Danilovic. But the Madrid Open winner, whose best result at Roland Garros was a semi-final in Paris two years ago, insisted the pressure was on Swiatek. "Let's just leave it (the pressure) on Iga (Swiatek) since she won it, what, three times in a row," said Sabalenka. The 27-year-old Belarusian next plays 16th-seeded American Amanda Anisimova who ousted Danish 22nd seed Clara Tauson 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 in their third-round tie. Zheng Qinwen ended the run of Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko 6-3, 6-4. The Chinese eighth seed has now won nine successive matches at Roland Garros following her run to Olympic gold last year. Zheng is through to the fourth round in Paris for the second time and will next play Russian 19th seed Liudmila Samsonova who brushed aside Ukraine's Dayana Yastremska 6-2, 6-3. Italian fourth seed Paolini eased past Ukrainian lucky loser Yuliia Starodubtseva 6-4, 6-1. Runner-up last year at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, Paolini next plays Ukrainian 13th seed Elina Svitolina who dug deep to see off American Bernarda Pera 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/5). Eighth seed Musetti won 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 against Argentine Mariano Navone as he follows on from his runner-up finish in Monte Carlo and semi-final runs in Madrid and Rome. But the Italian dropped his first set in Paris against world number 97 Navone. "I've grown up a lot. A match like this I don't know if I would (have) come back a few years ago," said Musetti. "The heat was pretty tough to manage. But happy to find a way to turn around the match." Musetti next plays Rune who was two points from defeat in the fourth set before rallying past France's Quentin Halys 4-6, 6-2, 5-7, 7-5, 6-2. American Tommy Paul, the 12th seed, got past Russian Karen Khachanov 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (9/7), 3-6, 6-3 and meets Australian Alexei Popyrin, the 25th seed, who beat Portugal's Nuno Borges 6-4, 7-6 (13/11), 7-6 (7/5).
Hans India
7 hours ago
- Sport
- Hans India
Alcaraz battles past Dzumhur to reach French Open fourth round
Carlos Alcaraz survived a late challenge on Friday at Roland Garros to keep his title defense alive. After a commanding start, the Spaniard had to reset his game to overcome Damir Dzumhur 6-1, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4. The 22-year-old found himself down a break early in the fourth set but regrouped to finish the match after a rollercoaster three hours and 14 minutes. Although Alcaraz was broken while serving for the match at 5-4, he immediately responded with a break of his own to seal the win and move into the fourth round. Alcaraz opened strong, taking control with aggressive forehands, some clocking over 100 miles per hour (160 km/h). Dzumhur had break points in every set and finally converted his first after seven misses, sparking late drama on Court Philippe-Chatrier. The Bosnian, who has a diverse game, adopted a more attacking position on the baseline and produced impressive backhand winners down the line while also moving forward to apply pressure. Alcaraz appeared frustrated at times, committing uncharacteristic errors as he struggled to respond. After failing to convert his first nine break chances across the third and fourth sets, Alcaraz finally capitalised to level the fourth set and stop Dzumhur's momentum. The 19-time tour-level titlist created 21 break opportunities in the match, converting seven — including one to close the match at 5-4 in the fourth. He totaled 52 winners, 38 from his forehand. Since May of last year, Alcaraz holds a 30-2 record on clay, according to the ATP Win/Loss Index — a stretch that includes his maiden Roland Garros title and a silver medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The World No. 2 in the ATP Rankings also claimed ATP Masters 1000 titles on clay in Monte-Carlo and Rome earlier in 2025. As the second seed and anchor of the bottom half of the draw, Alcaraz will next face 13th seed Ben Shelton in a high-profile fourth-round meeting. He leads Shelton 2-0 in their ATP Head2Head series. Alcaraz is aiming to become the first man to defend his Roland Garros crown since fellow Spaniard Rafael Nadal did so in 2019-2020. The four-time Grand Slam champion has now reached at least the fourth round in 11 of his past 12 major appearances, with his only early exit coming in the second round of last year's US Open (loss to van de Zandschulp). Dzumhur, 33, was competing in the third round of a major for the sixth time and for the first time since 2018 at Roland Garros — the same year he reached a career-high No. 23 in the ATP Rankings.
United News of India
8 hours ago
- Sport
- United News of India
Alcaraz overcomes Dzumhur challenge to enter fourth round
Paris, May 31 (UNI) Spain's Carlos Alcaraz booked his place in the fourth round of the French Open with a hard-fought four-set victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina's Damir Dzumhur on Court Philippe-Chatrier on Saturday IST. The third-round clash saw Alcaraz prevail 6-1, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 in two hours and 57 minutes, with the Spaniard showing moments of brilliance to stave off a strong fightback from the experienced Bosnian. Alcaraz, seeded third, raced through the opening two sets with a flurry of clean winners and aggressive returning, breaking Dzumhur three times while maintaining pressure on the Bosnian's serve. However, Dzumhur, ranked outside the top 100, clawed back in the third set, capitalising on a lapse in Alcaraz's intensity and converting one of his 12 break point opportunities. The fourth set saw both players exchange breaks early before Alcaraz tightened his grip on the match, winning five games in a row at one point and finishing with 139 total points to Džumhur's 118. The Spaniard served four aces to Dzumhur's none and won 64% of points on his first serve. Despite committing five double faults and facing 12 break points, Alcaraz managed to win 15 service games and 81 service points overall. Dzumhur fought valiantly, winning 50 receiving points and matching Alcaraz on second serve win percentage (60% vs 65%), but ultimately fell short against the world number three's consistent firepower and court coverage. Alcaraz will play his next match face in the round of 16 as he continues his quest for a maiden Roland Garros title. UNI BDN ARN
Time of India
8 hours ago
- Sport
- Time of India
French Open 2025: Carlos Alcaraz fights into last-16 as Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka progress
Carlos Alcaraz serves during his third round match against Damir Dzumhur at the 2025 French Open at Roland Garros in Paris. (AP) Paris: Carlos Alcaraz survived a scare to book his place in the French Open last 16 on Friday, with defending women's champion Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka also through to the fourth round at Roland Garros. Second seed Alcaraz won 6-1, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 against 69th-ranked Bosnian Damir Dzumhur in the night session to keep his title defence on course. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! Four-time Grand Slam champion Alcaraz arrived as the favourite at Roland Garros after securing the Monte Carlo Masters and Italian Open trophies in the build-up to the clay-court major. But his fluctuating performances in the past two rounds have given his rivals reason to believe he is vulnerable. "Today I honestly didn't enjoy it that much. I suffered quite a lot," said a relieved Alcaraz, who came from a break down in the fourth set to seal victory. "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." The 22-year-old next meets American 13th seed Ben Shelton who eased past Italian qualifier Matteo Gigante 6-3, 6-3, 6-4. Swiatek kept her bid for a fourth consecutive French Open title on track, coming through 6-2, 7-5 against Romania's world number 60 Jaqueline Cristian in sweltering conditions. Swiatek broke the 60th-ranked Cristian twice in a comfortable first set, but she was pushed a lot harder by her rival in the second and had to save six break points. "She really stepped up in the second set. I had to step up as well. It was an entertaining match," said Swiatek, hoping to become the first woman to win four successive Roland Garros titles since Suzanne Lenglen 102 years ago. The 23-year-old Pole will next play 12th seed Elena Rybakina after the Kazakh dispatched 2017 champion Jelena Ostapenko 6-2, 6-2 in a clash of big hitters. Swiatek has a 4-4 record against Rybakina but has lost both previous meetings on clay. However she was relieved at avoiding Ostapenko, who is 6-0 against her. A grinning Swiatek suggested earlier she had no preference as to her last-16 opponent before asking: "Am I a good liar?" "Let's say it doesn't matter, really. Oh, my God. I couldn't play poker," joked the world number five who has not won a title since last year's French Open. Sabalenka shrugs off the pressure Sabalenka produced a dominant display in a 6-2, 6-3 win over 34th-ranked Serbian left-hander Olga Danilovic. But the Madrid Open winner, whose best result at Roland Garros was a semi-final in Paris two years ago, insisted the pressure was on Swiatek. "Let's just leave it (the pressure) on Iga (Swiatek) since she won it, what, three times in a row," said Sabalenka. The 27-year-old Belarusian next plays 16th-seeded American Amanda Anisimova who ousted Danish 22nd seed Clara Tauson 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 in their third-round tie. Poll Who do you think has the best chance of winning the French Open this year? Carlos Alcaraz Iga Swiatek Aryna Sabalenka Elena Rybakina Zheng Qinwen ended the run of Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko 6-3, 6-4. The Chinese eighth seed has now won nine successive matches at Roland Garros following her run to Olympic gold last year. Zheng is through to the fourth round in Paris for the second time and will next play Russian 19th seed Liudmila Samsonova who brushed aside Ukraine's Dayana Yastremska 6-2, 6-3. Italian fourth seed Paolini eased past Ukrainian lucky loser Yuliia Starodubtseva 6-4, 6-1. Runner-up last year at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, Paolini next plays Ukrainian 13th seed Elina Svitolina who dug deep to see off American Bernarda Pera 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/5). Musetti, Rune battle through Eighth seed Musetti won 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 against Argentine Mariano Navone as he follows on from his runner-up finish in Monte Carlo and semi-final runs in Madrid and Rome. But the Italian dropped his first set in Paris against world number 97 Navone. "I've grown up a lot. A match like this I don't know if I would (have) come back a few years ago," said Musetti. "The heat was pretty tough to manage. But happy to find a way to turn around the match." Musetti next plays Rune who was two points from defeat in the fourth set before rallying past France's Quentin Halys 4-6, 6-2, 5-7, 7-5, 6-2. American Tommy Paul, the 12th seed, got past Russian Karen Khachanov 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (9/7), 3-6, 6-3 and meets Australian Alexei Popyrin, the 25th seed, who beat Portugal's Nuno Borges 6-4, 7-6 (13/11), 7-6 (7/5). Arthur Fils, the 14th seed, withdrew ahead of his third-round match on Saturday, extending the host nation's wait for a first men's champion at Roland Garros since Yannick Noah in 1983.
News18
8 hours ago
- Sport
- News18
French Open: Defending Champion Carlos Alcaraz Tested As He Enters Last 16
Last Updated: Carlos Alcaraz needed four sets to defeat Damir Dzumhur and later admitted he suffered a lot during the contest. Carlos Alcaraz overcame a tough challenge to secure his place in the French Open last 16 on Friday. Defending women's champion Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka also advanced to the fourth round at Roland Garros. Second seed Alcaraz won 6-1, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 against 69th-ranked Bosnian Damir Dzumhur in the night session, keeping his title defense intact. Four-time Grand Slam champion Alcaraz came to Roland Garros as the favorite after winning the Monte Carlo Masters and Italian Open. However, his inconsistent performances in the last two rounds have given his rivals hope that he might be vulnerable. 'Today I honestly didn't enjoy it that much. I suffered quite a lot," said a relieved Alcaraz, who came from a break down in the fourth set to secure the win. 'That's why doing really well in a Grand Slam is difficult; you have to maintain a very high level for three to four hours." The 22-year-old will next face American 13th seed Ben Shelton, who defeated Italian qualifier Matteo Gigante 6-3, 6-3, 6-4. Swiatek stayed on track for her fourth consecutive French Open title, defeating Romania's world number 60 Jaqueline Cristian 6-2, 7-5 in sweltering conditions. Swiatek broke Cristian twice in a comfortable first set, but faced a tougher challenge in the second, having to save six break points. 'She really stepped up in the second set. I had to step up as well. It was an entertaining match," said Swiatek, who aims to be the first woman to win four successive Roland Garros titles since Suzanne Lenglen 102 years ago. The 23-year-old Pole will next play 12th seed Elena Rybakina, who defeated 2017 champion Jelena Ostapenko 6-2, 6-2 in a clash of big hitters. Swiatek has a 4-4 record against Rybakina but has lost both previous meetings on clay. She was relieved to avoid Ostapenko, who holds a 6-0 record against her. A grinning Swiatek suggested earlier she had no preference regarding her last-16 opponent before asking, 'Am I a good liar?" 'Let's say it doesn't matter, really. Oh, my God. I couldn't play poker," joked the world number five, who has not won a title since last year's French Open. Sabalenka delivered a dominant performance, defeating 34th-ranked Serbian left-hander Olga Danilovic 6-2, 6-3. The Madrid Open winner, whose best result at Roland Garros was a semi-final in Paris two years ago, insisted the pressure was on Swiatek. 'Let's just leave it (the pressure) on Iga (Swiatek) since she won it, what, three times in a row," said Sabalenka. The 27-year-old Belarusian will next play 16th-seeded American Amanda Anisimova, who defeated Danish 22nd seed Clara Tauson 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 in their third-round match. Zheng Qinwen ended the run of Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko with a 6-3, 6-4 victory. The Chinese eighth seed has now won nine consecutive matches at Roland Garros, following her run to Olympic gold last year. Zheng is through to the fourth round in Paris for the second time and will next face Russian 19th seed Liudmila Samsonova, who defeated Ukraine's Dayana Yastremska 6-2, 6-3. Italian fourth seed Paolini defeated Ukrainian lucky loser Yuliia Starodubtseva 6-4, 6-1. Runner-up last year at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, Paolini will next face Ukrainian 13th seed Elina Svitolina, who dug deep to defeat American Bernarda Pera 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/5). Eighth seed Musetti won 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 against Argentine Mariano Navone, following his runner-up finish in Monte Carlo and semi-final runs in Madrid and Rome. However, the Italian dropped his first set in Paris against world number 97 Navone. 'I've grown up a lot. A match like this I don't know if I would (have) come back a few years ago," said Musetti. 'The heat was pretty tough to manage. But happy to find a way to turn around the match." Musetti will next play Rune, who was two points from defeat in the fourth set before rallying to overcome France's Quentin Halys 4-6, 6-2, 5-7, 7-5, 6-2. American Tommy Paul, the 12th seed, defeated Russian Karen Khachanov 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (9/7), 3-6, 6-3 and will face Australian Alexei Popyrin, the 25th seed, who beat Portugal's Nuno Borges 6-4, 7-6 (13/11), 7-6 (7/5). Arthur Fils, the 14th seed, withdrew ahead of his third-round match on Saturday, extending the host nation's wait for a first men's champion at Roland Garros since Yannick Noah in 1983. Watch CNN-News18 here. News18 Sports brings you the latest updates, live commentary, and highlights from cricket, football, tennis, badmintion, wwe and more. Catch breaking news, live scores, and in-depth coverage. Also Download the News18 App to stay updated! tags : Aryna Sabalenka Carlos Alcaraz Damir Dzumhur french open French Open 2025 Iga Swiatek Location : Paris, France First Published: May 31, 2025, 09:58 IST
