Carlos Alcaraz reached the last 16 of the French Open but he was made to work hard for his victory.
The 22-year-old dropped his first set of the tournament against Fábián Marozsán in round three before completing a four set win.
Alcaraz’s fourth round encounter against Damir Džumhur somewhat mirrored his victory against the Hungarian, though on this occasion Alcaraz opened up a two-set lead.
The Bosnian great heart and resilience to claim set three and he came close to pushing the defending champion to five sets.
But Alcaraz’s quality shone through when it mattered most and he sealed a 6-1 6-3 4-6 6-4 victory to advance to the fourth round in Paris.
Mats Wilander thinks Carlos Alcaraz is making a mistake at the French Open
Carlos Alcaraz is into the fourth round of his French Open title defence, but he has already dropped two sets.
This was the case in Alcaraz’s Roland Garros and Wimbledon victories a year ago, when he dropped five sets in each of those tournaments.
This means that he is expending more energy throughout these events that could be a crucial factor as Alcaraz goes deeper into the tournament.
This is something that commentator and three-time French Open winner Mats Wilander alluded to and he thinks it is something the World number two should be mindful of.
“This is the Carlos Alcaraz that we are not really sure about,” the Swede said. “He pops up sometimes. He doesn’t know how to get out of it it seems. Even though in the end he is going to win these matches.
“We saw it last year. It sort of happened. Down two sets to one against Sinner and Zverev and then he figures things out.
“But he spends three hours 14 minutes on court instead of two hours 14 minutes and been in bed by 1 o’clock rather than 3 o’clock. These are things which make a huge difference in a Grand Slam tournament.”
Carlos Alcaraz says he ‘did not enjoy’ his third round match against Damir Džumhur at the French Open
Alcaraz took control of his second meeting against Džumhur after winning the first two sets with his aggressive play, especially on the forehand.
But he lost his grip on proceedings and Džumhur began hitting some winners of his own, and began to start moving forward to finish points.
Alcaraz held firm and though he was broken while serving for the match, he won the next game to complete victory. Despite earning the result he wanted, Alcaraz was not satisfied with his performance.
“I didn’t enjoy it too much,” he said post-match. “I suffered quite a lot but I’m happy to have played a good match with Damir. That’s why it’s difficult to win Grand Slams because you have to maintain your focus over three or four hours.
“The first two sets were under control and then he decided to play deeper and more aggressive. My energy went down and it was hard to push, but I had to give everything I had inside. I’m proud to get the win in the end.”
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