Carlos Alcaraz overcame a challenging third-round match at Roland Garros in the early morning of May 31 (Vietnam time), to continue his journey to defend his championship title. After an overwhelming start, the Spaniard had to make every effort to defeat Damir Dzumhur 6-1, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.
Alcaraz won the third round after more than three hours of competition (Photo: Getty).
After winning the first two sets easily, the 22-year-old Spanish player could no longer maintain his superiority. After losing game 3, Alcaraz was also at risk of losing the fourth set and had to play a fifth set, but he promptly regained his form to end the match after 3 hours and 14 minutes of drama.
Alcaraz started very well with strong serves, many of which reached speeds of 160km/h. The Spaniard had three breaks in the first set, two in the second to win quickly 6-1, 6-3. In each set, Alcaraz faced break-points twice, but he saved the games successfully.
It was thought that Alcaraz would have an easy win in the third round match, but his opponent did not give up, Dzumhur improved his performance in the third set. After 7 failed break-points, Dzumhur unexpectedly broke the 7th game in the third set, taking the lead 4-3. Although having to continuously save break-points in the following service games, Dzumhur defended his service games well to advance to a 6-3 victory and prolong the match.
With a break in the first game of the fourth set, successfully saving a triple break-point in the second game, Dzumhur took a 3-1 lead. However, the Bosnian could not stop his opponent from rising, Alcaraz won 4 consecutive games to easily win 5-3. Dzumhur held on to hope with a second break, closing in on 4-5, but he still could not protect the next service game. Alcaraz won the third break of the set, thereby securing a 6-4 victory and closing the match.
Alcaraz competes in the third round of Roland Garros (Photo: Getty).
In the lower bracket, No. 2 seed Alcaraz will face No. 13 seed Ben Shelton in the fourth round. Alcaraz currently leads Shelton 2-0 in the head-to-head series.
Alcaraz now boasts an impressive 30-2 record on clay since May last year, a run that included his first Roland Garros title and a silver medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The Spaniard also won ATP Masters 1000 titles in Monte Carlo and Rome this year.
Alcaraz is aiming to become the first man to successfully defend his title in Paris since compatriot Rafael Nadal in 2019-20. A four-time Grand Slam winner, Alcaraz has reached at least the fourth round in 11 of his last 12 appearances, only failing to do so at last year's US Open (losing to van de Zandschulp in the second round).
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/alcaraz-thoat-khoi-kho-khan-tien-buoc-tai-roland-garros-20250531050749410.htm
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