PARIS (AP) – If Carlos Alcaraz is playing, do not look away. Even for a moment.
Because it’s likely he’ll conjure up some sort of highlight-worthy mix of ability, athleticism and awareness that drops the jaw.
Which is why the number one-ranked Alcaraz himself acknowledged through that now-familiar smile that he’ll glance up at the stadium video boards “a lot of times” to see a replay of what he just did.
Up to his usual tricks at Court Philippe Chatrier on Sunday, Alcaraz mixed a bit of this – a back-to-the-net ‘tweener lob – and a bit of that – a full-sprint-then-slide wide of the doubles alley for a backhand winner at a seemingly impossible angle – along the way to reaching the French Open quarterfinals with a 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 victory over number 17 seed Lorenzo Musetti of Italy.
Next for Alcaraz, a 20-year-old from Spain who won the United States Open in September, comes what could be a tougher test: His quarterfinal opponent will be number five Stefanos Tsitsipas, a two-time major runner-up who advanced by beating qualifier Sebastian Ofner 7-5, 6-3, 6-0. Win that, and Alcaraz could find himself in a semifinal against Novak Djokovic.
He broke a tie with rival Rafael Nadal by reaching the French Open quarterfinals for the record 17th time, never truly in trouble during a 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 win over Juan Pablo Varillas.
“Well, I’m proud of it, but my attention is already on the next match,” said Djokovic, who now meets number 11 Karen Khachanov. “I’m trying to stay, mentally, the course and of course not look too far.” That’s because Djokovic is closing on bettering Nadal in a more prestigious category: Grand Slam singles championships.
Both currently sit at 22. For Djokovic, that total includes two at Roland Garros, in 2016 and 2021, and he can become the first man to own at least three trophies from each major tournament.
