Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz recovered from a brief second-set wobble to reach the third round of the French Open on Wednesday, as women’s favourites Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka powered through with emphatic wins.
Second seed Alcaraz defeated Hungary’s Fabian Marozsan 6-1, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2, notching his 17th win in 18 matches on clay this season. Despite conceding a sloppy second set, the 21-year-old Spaniard regrouped swiftly and closed out the match in commanding fashion.
“Second set, he started playing really well, barely missing. It was tough to handle his rhythm,” said Alcaraz. “But I stayed strong mentally, reset myself, and started to find my level again in the third. That made the difference.”
The four-time Grand Slam winner now faces Bosnia’s Damir Dzumhur as he continues his bid to defend the title and claim a fifth major.
Swiatek sends a message, Sabalenka strides through
In the women’s draw, world No. 2 Iga Swiatek extended her Roland Garros dominance with a crushing 6-1, 6-2 win over former US Open champion Emma Raducanu. It was her fifth win in as many matches against the Brit and her 23rd consecutive victory in Paris — moving her career record at the French Open to an astonishing 37-2.
Swiatek, chasing a fourth straight crown in Paris, is aiming to become the first woman since Suzanne Lenglen in 1923 to achieve such a feat.
“Honestly, I just love playing here,” said the 23-year-old Pole. “This place brings out the best in me and keeps me motivated.”
Swiatek, seeded fifth due to recent dips in form, has yet to drop a set this week. She will next face Romania’s Jaqueline Cristian.
Also in the top half of the draw, world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka recovered from a sluggish start to blow past Switzerland’s Jil Teichmann 6-3, 6-1. The Belarusian dropped serve early but roared back, winning 11 of the final 12 games.
“She made me work for every point, no matter the scoreline,” Sabalenka said. The two-time Grand Slam champion has lost just five games across her opening two rounds.
Sabalenka, Swiatek, Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen, and red-hot Italian Jasmine Paolini all find themselves in a loaded top half.
Paolini, fresh off her Italian Open title, made it eight straight wins with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Ajla Tomljanovic. The fourth seed next faces Ukraine’s Yuliia Starodubtseva.
Zheng advanced with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Emiliana Arango and now meets 18-year-old Canadian Victoria Mboko, a Grand Slam debutant.
Former Wimbledon winner Elena Rybakina, Elina Svitolina, and Amanda Anisimova all progressed, but there was disappointment for Russian 11th seed Diana Shnaider, who fell in three sets to Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska.
Ruud sent packing as Musetti marches on
The men’s draw saw its first major upset as two-time runner-up Casper Ruud was dumped out by Portugal’s Nuno Borges. Ruud, nursing a knee injury, took the first set before fading badly in a 2-6, 6-4, 6-1, 6-0 loss.
“I felt it early in the first set,” said Ruud. “Hopefully it’s nothing serious, but I’m not sure about Wimbledon yet.”
Meanwhile, Lorenzo Musetti continued his impressive clay-court form with a straight-sets demolition of Colombian lucky loser Daniel Elahi Galan, 6-4, 6-0, 6-4. The Italian eighth seed has reached at least the semi-finals at all three clay Masters events this year and now meets Argentina’s Mariano Navone.
In another surprise, 20th seed Stefanos Tsitsipas was sent packing in four sets by qualifier Matteo Gigante — his earliest Roland Garros exit in seven years. Gigante will now face American Ben Shelton, who received a walkover after Hugo Gaston’s injury withdrawal.
Holger Rune, the only man to beat Alcaraz on clay this season, advanced in the night match, downing American wild card Emilio Nava 6-3, 7-6 (7/5), 6-3.
As the second week nears, the tournament is heating up — with big names cruising, others stumbling, and a packed schedule promising more drama at Roland Garros.
AFP
