Carlos Alcaraz sweeps aside Lorenzo Musetti to move into last eight of French Open at Roland-Garros
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ByEurosport
Updated 04/06/2023 at 22:03 GMT
The Carlos Alcaraz train rumbles on as the world No. 1 secured his place in the quarter-finals of the French Open with a convincing straight-sets win over Lorenzo Musetti. The Spaniard powered through the match, refusing to entertain the slightest possibility of an upset on Court Philippe-Chatrier. Stream the 2023 French Open live on discovery+, the Eurosport app and at eurosport.com
Alcaraz v Musetti - French Open highlights
Carlos Alcaraz was once again in imperious form as he booked his place in the French Open quarter-finals with a 6-3 6-2 6-2 win over Lorenzo Musetti.
The world No. 1 and top seed rarely looked troubled on Philippe-Chatrier as he secured his last-eight spot and remains on course for a potential second Grand Slam title following his US Open win last year.
Incredibly, a lengthy first game saw the Spaniard broken and immediately on the back foot. Alcaraz defended two break points, but couldn't hold off his Italian opponent a third time and dropped the game.
With Musetti having upset Alcaraz in the final of the Hamburg final in 2022, the Italian is one of the few players on the ATP Tour who might have the secrets to beating him. After the first game, it appeared as though another upset might be coming.
Before the match, Alcaraz had made no secret of the fact that the Hamburg final was on his mind. He said: “I remember the match in Hamburg. It was really, really tough. This is a match that I'm really looking for, I really want to play that match."
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Alcaraz takes second set against Musetti with 'sensational serving'
Musetti strengthened his position by holding his own service game to take a 2-0 lead. From there though, Alcaraz went through the gears, and Musetti couldn't keep pace. The Spaniard reeled off five straight games, dropping just five points in the process.
Alcaraz had tweaked his approach, cutting down his risk-taking in favour of more cautious shots, and the new tactics proved highly effective.
Musetti then halted Alcaraz's progress briefly in the eighth game of the set, holding serve to move back within two games of his Spanish opponent.
The top seed was unfazed though, and served out the set in the next game without dropping a point.
It had seemed that Alcaraz had a real battle on his hands, but after 41 minutes the Spaniard was in total control.
The match threatened to become a procession as Alcaraz broke Musetti in the first game of the second set before holding to love to lead 2-0.
Musetti steadied, converting his serve before an excellent break levelled the set at 2-2.
Dropping his serve seemed to shock Alcaraz into action. He broke back immediately, dropping just one point as he reasserted himself, before blasting through the rest of the set and dropping just one point in his final two service games, including serving out the set to love.
Musetti started the third set well, holding serve before producing two break points in Alcaraz's first service game. The Spaniard escaped on both occasions, and there was no way back. Musetti held serve again to go 2-1 up, but from there Alcaraz put the hammer down.
He reeled off the next five games, serving out the match after two hours and 11 minutes on court.
Alcaraz was pleased and confident after the match.
Speaking on court, he said: "I played at such a great level; high quality. It was windy, and I played aggressively. I played a complete match from the first ball to the last, and I’m happy to come through it.
"I try not to think about the pressure of being world No. 1 or the favourite. I put that outside my mind, and play and enjoy tennis. I try to smile all the time. This is the key for everything; to enjoy everything, and do the impossible. Making the people watching [enjoy it]. That’s all I think about during a match."
Stefanos Tsitsipas awaits Alcaraz in the next round, with a semi-final against Novak Djokovic still a distinct possibility.
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