Carlos Alcaraz successfully advanced to the fourth round of Roland Garros, overcoming a challenging match against Damir Dzumhur. The Spaniard, who is defending his title, initially dominated but had to regain composure to secure a 6-1, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 victory.
At 22 years old, Alcaraz faced difficulties early in the fourth set but managed to close out the match after three hours and fourteen minutes. Despite being broken while serving for the match at 5-4, he responded with a decisive break of his own.
Alcaraz started strong with aggressive forehands reaching over 100 miles per hour (160 km/h). Dzumhur held break points throughout all four sets and converted one on his eighth opportunity, creating late drama on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
Dzumhur from Bosnia-Herzegovina played aggressively from the baseline and pressured Alcaraz with backhand winners. However, Alcaraz eventually broke through after missing nine break chances across two sets. He held 21 break chances in total and converted seven, including one that secured his win.
Alcaraz’s clay court record stands at 30 wins and two losses since last May according to Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index. This includes his first Roland Garros title and a silver medal at the Paris Olympics in 2024. Ranked World No. 2 by PIF ATP Rankings, he has also won ATP Masters titles in Monte-Carlo and Rome this year.
As the second seed anchoring the bottom half of the draw, Alcaraz will face Ben Shelton next in a highly anticipated fourth-round match. He currently leads Shelton 2-0 in their head-to-head encounters.
Alcaraz aims to become the first man since Rafael Nadal (2019-20) to defend his Paris title successfully. A four-time major champion, he has reached at least the fourth round in eleven of his last twelve Grand Slam appearances.
Dzumhur was competing in a major’s third round for the sixth time; it was his first such appearance since Paris in 2018 when he achieved a career-high ranking of No. 23 by PIF ATP Rankings.