'He is like a jumping bean' - Carlos Alcaraz's energy in victory impresses French Open great Chris Evert

ByAlex Livie

Updated 25/05/2022 at 20:25 GMT

Carlos Alcaraz survived a test of his mettle to beat Albert Ramos-Vinolas in an epic five sets. The teenager saved match points in the fourth set and produced some sparkling passages of play to beat his fellow Spaniard 6-1 6-7(9) 5-7 7-6(2) 6-4. Stream the 2022 French Open live and on-demand on discovery+

Chris Evert was wowed by Carlos Alcaraz’s energy during his epic win over Albert Ramos-Vinolas in the second round of the French Open.

The teenager has had a breakthrough campaign in 2022, but he was staring down the barrel of a shock defeat to his fellow Spaniard.

But after saving match points in the fourth set, Alcaraz powered back into the contest and pulled off some stunning shots in securing a 6-1 6-7(9) 5-7 7-6(2) 6-4 victory.

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While Ramos-Vinolas appeared physically drained in the fifth set, Alcaraz looked extremely fresh - and gave off the impression he could have played for hours more.

Evert: Alcaraz showed 'tremendous maturity' in win over Ramos-Vinolas

Alcaraz has impressed this season with his overall package, and how he carried himself on Court Simonne-Mathieu impressed seven-time French Open champion Evert.

“This guy, he came jumping out of the womb, probably,” Evert said in the Eurosport studio. “He is like a jumping bean. He has endless energy.

“The energy, the charisma, the joy and the passion.

“He is so uninhibited in the way he expresses himself on the court.

“We have not seen it in so long, and it is wonderful to see.”

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Evert feels the emergence of Alcaraz handed the men’s game a huge boost, with Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic towards the end of their careers.

“Men’s tennis needed a shot in the arm, as the top three are not going to be the top three for long,” Evert said.

Highlights: Alcaraz wins five-set epic against Ramos-Vinolas to reach third round

Mats Wilander was also bowled over by Alcaraz, who he has described as the most exciting teenager to emerge in the game.

“I am going to go out on a limb and say I think we’ve never had a young player at 19 who has been this exciting in terms of the body language,” Wilander said. “The combination package.

“Roger Federer because of his style, Rafa Nadal because of his emotional input, but Alcaraz has something different and that’s what people are catching onto and loving it.”

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Stream the 2022 French Open live and on-demand on discovery+.

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