Alcaraz Makes Hard Work of Dzumhur but Advances to Roland-Garros Round of 16

Carlos Alcaraz, the defending champion at Roland-Garros, faced Damir Dzumhur tonight in his third-round match.

While the matchup seemed lopsided on paper, the encounter delivered more suspense than expected. The first two sets were comfortably won by Alcaraz with scores of 6-1 and 6-3.

But Dzumhur, whose fate appeared sealed, began playing fearlessly against the world No. 2. The Bosnian extended rallies, introduced more variety into his game, and Alcaraz momentarily lost his rhythm. After a nearly hour-long battle, Dzumhur managed to snatch the third set 6-4, prolonging the drama on Court Philippe-Chatrier.

The fourth set had its share of twists, with Dzumhur continuing his momentum by securing an early break. The world No. 69 led 3-1 before relinquishing ground as his opponent rediscovered his form. Alcaraz won four consecutive games and served for the match, but Dzumhur stayed alive by breaking back at 5-3.

Ultimately, it was on the following service game—thanks to a seventh break—that the world No. 2 sealed the victory (6-1, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4) after 3 hours and 15 minutes of play.

A harder-fought win than expected for the Spaniard, who will face Ben Shelton in the round of 16 on Sunday.