Alcaraz, Swiatek pass tough French Open tests

PARIS — Carlos Alcaraz fought past American Ben Shelton in a tight four-set match to reach the French Open quarterfinals on Sunday, while Iga Swiatek staged a comeback to defeat Elena Rybakina and keep her bid for a fourth straight title alive.

Reigning champion Alcaraz clinched a 7-6(8), 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 victory after three hours and 19 minutes on Court Philippe Chatrier to book a last-eight berth for a fourth straight year.

Alcaraz will take on Tommy Paul in the quarterfinals, after the 12th seed saw off Australia's Alexei Popyrin 6-3, 6-3, 6-3.

"Today I fought against myself in the mind," he said.

"In some moments I was mad, I was thinking not very good things. But I'm really happy that I didn't let the bad thoughts play against me... I tried to calm myself down and keep going."

The four-time Grand Slam champion saved three set points in a dramatic opening-set tie-break before clinching it himself on his second.

He crucially then saved six break points in a marathon first game of the second set, before going on to win it courtesy of a break in the eighth game.

American 13th seed Shelton deservedly got a set on the board to extend the match, but Alcaraz quickly bounced back with an early break in the fourth.

The second seed saw a match point come and go in the ninth game of the set, but he quickly brought up another one on his own serve and took the opportunity with a trademark forehand winner.

Lorenzo Musetti continued his rich vein of form with an impressive 7-5, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 success against Danish 10th seed Holger Rune in the night session.

The Italian eighth seed, who reached at least the semifinals in clay-court Masters events in Monte Carlo, Madrid and Rome, will face Frances Tiafoe in the last eight.

American 15th seed Tiafoe booked a place in his first-ever French Open quarterfinal with a 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (4) win over unseeded German Daniel Altmaier.

Swiatek downs Rybakina

Four-time Roland Garros champion Swiatek, who has been struggling for her best form and has not reached a final since winning the title last year, was in serious trouble when trailing 2-0 to Rybakina in the second set.

But the 24-year-old dug deep to clinch a 1-6, 6-3, 7-5 victory.

Swiatek is aiming to become the first woman to win four straight Roland Garros crowns since Suzanne Lenglen 102 years ago.

The Pole will next face Ukraine's Elina Svitolina, who knocked out 2024 losing finalist Jasmine Paolini, in the last eight on Tuesday.

Swiatek is now on a 25-match winning streak at the French Open and boasts a remarkable 39-2 winloss record in the tournament.

Rybakina had won both of her previous career meetings with Swiatek on clay and the Kazakh dominated the opening set, hammering 12 winners past her bewildered opponent.

"Well it was tough you know, first set I felt like I was playing against Jannik Sinner," said Swiatek.

"I needed to do something to get back in the game, but with her playing like that I didn't feel like I had much hope."

Rybakina broke in the first game of the second set as she threatened to run away with the match.

But Swiatek impressively turned the set around with a run of five straight games.

The fifth seed was one game from defeat when trailing 5-4 in the deciding set, but she managed to end Rybakina's resistance and held her nerve to serve out the match.

"Using the top spin was the plan from the beginning but I did not feel she gave me the space to do that. But I'm happy that I was patient enough to stay in the game and use any opportunity that came to me," Swiatek said.

Svitolina made the quarterfinals for the fifth time with a comeback 4-6, 7-6(6), 6-1 win over Paolini, saving three match points in a dramatic opening clash on Court Philippe Chatrier.

The former world No 3, who has never made a Grand Slam final, will be bidding to reach a first Roland Garros semifinal when she faces Swiatek.

"I still cannot believe that this match finished my way," said Svitolina.

World No 1 Aryna Sabalenka needed eight match points to wrap up a 7-5, 6-3 win over American Amanda Anisimova.

The three-time Grand Slam champion reached her 10th successive major quarterfinal, where she will face Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen.

"I want to get this win after Rome, so I'm happy to face her (Zheng) in the quarters," said Sabalenka, who lost to Zheng in the Italian Open last eight last month.

Zheng secured a quarterfinal place with a hard-fought three-set victory over 19th-seeded Russian Liudmila Samsonova.

The Chinese eighth seed extended her winning streak at Roland Garros to 10 matches, winning 7-6 (5),1-6, 6-3 on Court Suzanne-Lenglen.

AFP