Carlos Alcaraz continues to impress in Paris, as he books his spot in the third round.
The number two seed won his maiden French Open title in 2024 when Alcaraz beat Alexander Zverev in the final, 6-3, 2-6, 5-7, 6-1, 6-2.
Returning one year later, Alcaraz took down Giulio Zeppieri in his opening match, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2.
He faced a tougher test in the second round, coming through in four sets as Alcaraz defeated Fabian Marozsan.
After the match, Alcaraz was asked for his thoughts on electronic line calling and whether he wants to see line judges replaced at the French Open.
Carlos Alcaraz says he prefers line judges to electronic line calling
During his post-match press conference, Alcaraz gave his verdict on electronic line calling.
“Both things are fine,” he said.
“Obviously, with the electronic calling, you play a little bit more calmly knowing that they don’t make mistakes or almost never make mistakes.”
He did, however, admit he still prefers human line judges making the calls.
“Especially on clay, I like it more with the line judges personally, but in the end, there’s the bounce of the ball, you can see it,” said Alcaraz.
“We have seen it several times that the ball is clearly out, and the machine gives it a good one or vice versa.
So when the referee can come down or when there are linesmen in the end, the mark is clear, and you can discuss it.
“You can talk to the referee, and sometimes it’s maybe a little bit better, but both things are fine.”
The French Open is the only Grand Slam event still using line judges, as the rest of the ATP Tour has switched to the electronic alternative.
French Tennis Federation president Gilles Moretton recently explained why line judges are still used at Roland Garros.
“The system used by the ATP seems not to be perfect. We know that it is 10% errors possible, 10%, that’s what we know,” he said.
“At Roland Garros, we want to keep our linesmen as long as the players agree with that. If at some point the players say we don’t want them, then maybe we will have to change.”
Only time will tell if we will see the French Open make a change in the future, but it certainly looks like they’re set in their ways for now.
Alcaraz, unbothered by what the tournament decides to do, will now focus on his third-round match against the Bosnian number one.
Who is Carlos Alcaraz’s third-round opponent, Damir Dzumhur?
Next up for Alcaraz is Bosnia’s Damir Dzumhur, whom the Spaniard hasn’t yet played on the ATP Tour.
Dzumhur looked to have suffered a bad injury during his second-round match, but bravely fought through in four sets to take down seeded Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.
- 2025 French Open 2R – Damir Dzumhur beat Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, 7-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4
- 2025 French Open 1R – Damir Dzumhur beat Thiago Tirante, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-5
The 33-year-old will be competing in his first third-round Grand Slam match in seven years when he takes to the court against Alcaraz.
Dzumhur may have fallen out of contention in recent years, but he has still enjoyed a fine ATP career, winning three titles, reaching a career-high ranking of number 23.
Damir Dzumhur player profile
- ATP Titles – 3 (2017 St Petersburg Open, 2017 Kremlin Cup, 2018 Antalya Open)
- Career-high ranking – 23rd
- ATP Ranking – 69th
- Best Grand Slam performance – 3R (six times)
- Top ten wins – 4 (2016 – Rafael Nadal, Tomas Berdych) (2017 – Stan Wawrinka, Alexander Zverev)
Whilst Alcaraz and Dzumhur haven’t played each other on the ATP Tour, they have on the Challenger Tour, battling it out for the Barcelona title in 2020.
After dropping the first set to Dzumhur, Alcaraz fought back to win in three, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1, to clinch the second of his four Challenger Tour titles.
It remains to be seen if Alcaraz can secure another win over the world number 69, but it’ll certainly be worth tuning in for when they face off for a spot in the fourth round on Friday, May 30.
Receive exclusive tennis news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
