PARIS — Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz reached the fourth spherical of the French Open after laboring previous Damir Dzumhur 6-1, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 within the Friday evening session.
The second-seeded Spaniard had by no means performed Dzumhur, a 33-year-old Bosnian who had by no means been previous the third spherical at any main event.
“I suffered quite a bit at the moment,” stated Alcaraz, who has dropped two units thus far. “The primary two units was beneath management, then he began to play extra deeply and extra aggressively. It was actually troublesome for me.”
Dzumhur harm his left knee in a fall within the second spherical, and had remedy Friday on his proper leg throughout the changeover at 3-2 down within the third set. He then lay on the bottom whereas the coach labored on each legs for a number of minutes.
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Then, Dzumhur obtained cheers when he made an inconceivable smash regardless of being off steadiness, once more when he received the third set, and as soon as extra when he broke Alcaraz within the opening recreation of the fourth set.
An inconceivable turnaround gave the impression to be taking place as Alcaraz made clumsy unforced errors, hitting routine-looking winners lengthy or forcing photographs on his normally correct forehand. At one level within the fourth set, Alcaraz even stared down on the clay in frustration after sending a booming forehand means out.
However the four-time Grand Slam singles champion broke again within the sixth and eighth video games to serve for the match.
Nonetheless, the resilient Dzumhur, whose face was pink with effort and glistening with sweat, broke again to pull the suspense out just a little longer.
“That is why it is troublesome to win Grand Slams as a result of you must keep your focus over three or 4 hours,” Alcaraz stated. “I did not take pleasure in it an excessive amount of.”
Alcaraz lastly clinched victory on his second match level and faces No. 13 Ben Shelton within the fourth spherical.
Alcaraz leads 2-0 in profession matches in opposition to Shelton, who can also be 22, however they’ve by no means met on clay.
“Enjoying the defending champion, spherical of 16, I am guessing middle courtroom, that is a reasonably cool alternative, fairly cool expertise,” stated Shelton, who will make his first, fourth-round look at Roland Garros after beating Matteo Gigante 6-3, 6-3, 6-4.
With No. 12 Tommy Paul’s five-set win over No. 24 Karen Khachanov on Friday, and No. 15 Frances Tiafoe defeating No. 23 Sebastian Korda 7-6 (6), 6-3, 6-4 in an all-American matchup, the U.S. can have three males within the French Open fourth spherical for the primary time since 1995.
If qualifier Ethan Quinn wins Saturday, there can be 4 American males in Week 2 in Paris for the primary time since 1991.
In different males’s third-round play Friday, No. 8 Lorenzo Musetti of Italy beat Mariano Navone and No. 10 Holger Rune of Denmark beat Frenchman Quentin Halys in 5 units.
No. 25 Alexei Popyrin of Australia additionally superior.
The Related Press contributed to this report.
