Carlos Alcaraz smoothly to the eighth finals, Novak Djokovic has a tough two sets with tough Spaniard | Roland Garros

Alcaraz waltzed over Shapovalov in the first set, but still had to push against the Canadian number 32 in the world in the second set. Alcaraz, the number one in the ATP ranking, was broken twice and faced a 4-1 game deficit. However, the 20-year-old Spaniard kept his cool and took the next five games to give him a 2-0 lead in sets.

In the decisive set, Alcaraz finally won the match. With that he joined the last sixteen of the grand slam in Paris. ,,I just made too many mistakes in the second set”, Alcaraz looked back. ,,But I didn’t let that confuse me, I knew it would be all right. Opportunities came and I took them. I am satisfied.”

Novak Djokovic has also qualified for the eighth finals. The 36-year-old Serbian won in a long three-setter against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina: 7-5, 7-5, 6-2. The first two sets together lasted 2 hours and 49 minutes, but after that the 23-year-old Spaniard was too tired to make it difficult for Djokovic.

Djokovic had convincingly dealt with the young American Aleksandar Kovacevic and the Hungarian Márton Fucsovics in the first two rounds, but in the third round in Paris the Serb had to get serious. The tough Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina forced the Serbian great to a tiebreak twice. Djokovic won 7-4 and 7-5.

After the second set, Davidovich Fokina went in briefly and Djokovic received injury treatment, with some of the crowd beginning to jeer at him. Djokovic responded with cynical applause. In the third set, Davidovich Fokina finally ran out of energy, who had to give in 6-2.

,,Of course, such opposition is always nice, but we spent three hours over the first two sets. That fits nicely. In the second set I was afraid that I would lose it and we would be busy here for more than five hours”, said Djokovic after his winning match, after which he thanked the audience for their support. “I had to go very deep.”

Djokovic is now at 22 grand slams, just like Rafael Nadal. His Spanish peer is missing due to persistent injuries this year in Paris, where Nadal was the best fourteen times. Djokovic was the best on the clay court in Paris in 2016 and 2021. The now retired tennis great Roger Federer, who managed to beat Nadal in Paris in 2009, came to twenty grand slams.

Stefanos Tsitsipas has also reached the fourth round of Roland Garros. The fifth-seeded Greek did not have much trouble beating Argentinian Diego Schwartzman. He did that in three sets: 6-2 6-2 6-3. Tsitsipas (24) is one of the outsiders for the title in Paris, alongside favorites Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz. In 2021 he reached the final at Roland Garros, but he has never won a grand slam title.

Tsitsipas can now compete against the Austrian qualifier Sebastian Ofner. It is the fifth consecutive year that he has reached the second week in Paris.