Awesome Alcaraz Aces Musetti Test At Roland Garros

Peter Staples/ATP Tour

Carlos Alcaraz completed a revenge mission in style Sunday at Roland Garros, where the top seed cruised past Lorenzo Musetti 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 with a scintillating fourth-round performance at the clay-court major.

The Spaniard responded to losing the opening two games of the match by claiming 18 of the next 23 to seal a two-hour, eight-minute victory. Alcaraz clubbed the ball with purpose off both wings from the baseline and frequently showcased his delicate touch at the net to power into his second consecutive Roland Garros quarter-final.

“I think I played such a great level,” said Alcaraz in his on-court interview. “A really high quality of shots, playing really aggressive. I think I played a really complete match, [from the] first ball to the last one, and I’m really happy to get through this really tough round against Lorenzo.”

Musetti had beaten Alcaraz on clay in the pair’s only previous ATP Head2Head meeting, in the Hamburg final last July, but he never looked likely to repeat that result despite making a bright start on Court Philippe-Chatrier. Alcaraz outhit Musetti by 42 winners to 17 and converted seven of 14 break points he earned to set a quarter-final clash against Stefanos Tsitsipas or Sebastian Ofner.

Given Musetti’s Hamburg victory and the fact that the Italian had not lost a set in his opening three matches in Paris, Alcaraz’s dominant showing can be seen as a statement to the rest of the field that he is ready to bring his best level to his Roland Garros title challenge. The World No. 1 dropped a set to Taro Daniel in the second round but has since dispatched Denis Shapovalov and Musetti for the loss of just seven games apiece.

With his win, Alcaraz extended his winning streak at Grand Slam events to 11 matches. The 2022 US Open champion is now 34-3 for the season, a tally that includes a 24-2 record on clay. His latest victory keeps the Spaniard on track to retain his World No. 1 status, with Novak Djokovic pushing to replace him in top spot by lifting the trophy himself.

“I try not to think about the No. 1 [spot], the pressure, [whether] I am one of the main favourites to win the tournament,” said Alcaraz, when asked how he handles the pressures that success brings. “I try to put all those thoughts outside my mind.

“I just try to play tennis, to enjoy, and try to smile all the time. This is the key for everything for me, trying to enjoy, trying to make impossible shots, trying to make the people enjoy watching the tennis. This is all I think about during the match.”