Carlos Alcaraz delivered a dazzling performance and demonstrated remarkable determination in his most convincing match at this year's French Open, securing a 6-4, 7-6(5), 6-3 victory over American Sebastian Korda to advance to the fourth round at Roland Garros on Friday.
Despite wearing a compression sleeve due to a recent forearm issue, Alcaraz excelled in a rematch of their 2022 encounter, reasserting himself as a strong contender for the title in Paris and his third major championship.
"I feel amazing, feel great playing on this court. Obviously I have great memories here," Alcaraz said. "Great matches I've played before. I'm feeling better and better every match I play. The crowd was amazing. Every day it's even better. I'm excited to play in the second week in Paris again. Hopefully I'll keep going."
The energetic Carlos Alcaraz broke Korda in a tightly contested opening game, but the world number three soon found himself in a battle as his 27th-seeded opponent immediately responded on a chilly evening at Court Philippe Chatrier.
Alcaraz intensified his backhand to create a break opportunity for a 5-4 lead, capitalizing when Korda netted a volley. The 21-year-old Spaniard then claimed the opening set by holding serve to love in the subsequent game.
The 2023 semi-finalist was clearly in an entertaining mood, delighting the evening crowd with a sideways tweener that Korda handled at the net and later lobbing the 23-year-old with a deep backhand to even the score at 1-1 in the next set.
Korda, aiming to replicate his father Petr's 1992 achievement of reaching the Roland Garros final, struggled to counter his showman opponent's breaks but managed to hold on during intense rallies, leveling the set at 3-3.
Alcaraz let out a triumphant scream after creaming a 101 mph forehand to win the tiebreak and extend his lead. The finish line came into view when he broke for a 3-1 lead in the third set, which he sealed with a precise volley.
