The Sunday Times May 29, 2022 13
Tennis French Open
ON TV TODAY
Karen Khachanov v Carlos Alcaraz
Eurosport 1, 7.45pmI
t is a measure of Carlos Alcaraz’s
stunning rise to prominence that
he will today headline the Court
Philippe Chatrier night session
for the second consecutive
round. The 19-year-old Spaniard
has an undeniable X factor that
has had the knowledgeable
Roland Garros crowd eating out of
the palm of his hand.
Some of the loudest roars heard in
Paris this year have come during
Alcaraz’s matches. The energy he
brings to the court whips up an
atmosphere that few players can
spark, as was observed by the great
Chris Evert, who watched his
Houdini-esque escape from match
point down against his compatriot
Albert Ramos-Vinolas on Wednesday.
“This guy came jumping out of the
womb probably,” Evert, the 18-times
grand-slam singles champion, told
Eurosport. “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.”
Alcaraz’s style of play lends itself
to this excitable frenzy.
Incongruously, for someone often
labelled “the new Rafael Nadal”, his
will to attack and venture towards the
net when the opportunity arises is
more reminiscent of Roger Federer.
Even in defence, a burst of speed in
his legs allows him to quickly recover
and hit astonishing winners from
seemingly impossible positions.
“I would say that I’m aggressive all
the time,” Alcaraz said. “It doesn’t
matter if I am losing, winning or in a
tough moment in a tough match, I
keep my style the whole match. I
would say that’s the difference [to
other players].”
As confident as Alcaraz is in his
own ability, he is also noticeably
grounded in his approach off the
court. He comes from El Palmar, a
village of 22,000 people near Murcia,
and spent much of his childhood at
his father’s tennis academy. Juan
Carlos Ferrero, the former world No 1
who won the French Open in 2003,
has imparted a great deal of
knowledge and experience as his
main coach since 2019.
“He made me the player that I am
right now,” Alcaraz said. “I would say
the main thing is the intensity that I
have to keep playing during the two,
three hours in these matches against
the best players in the world and
keep focusing in every tournament
and practice [session].”
No doubt Alcaraz is a future grand-
slam champion, but could a first title
come as soon as next Sunday?
Tonight he has to overcome Karen
Khachanov, who ended Cameron
Norrie’s hopes in the third round on
Friday, before a likely quarter-final
against Germany’s Alexander Zverev
on Tuesday. Already, however, he is
fielding questions about a potential
semi-final against Nadal or Novak
Djokovic on Friday. He defeated
both en route to the Madrid Open
title this month.
“I think I’m ready,” Alcaraz said.
“It’s different to play against themSTUART
FRASER
Tennis Correspondent
ParisThe door to a second French Open
title is wide open for Iga Swiatek,
who won her 31st consecutive
match and then found herself as
the only top-ten player remaining in
the women’s draw by the end of the
day (Stuart Fraser writes).
The world No 1 from
Poland, right, who was
the champion in 2020,
was given her
toughest test in some
time by Montenegro’s
Danka Kovinic but still
came through 6-3, 7-5.
Swiatek’s winning
streak is the longest in
women’s tennis since Serena
Williams won 34 in a row in 2013.
Hours later, Swiatek’s already low
odds were slashed by bookmakers.
Aryna Sabalenka, the world No 7,
suffered a sudden collapse from a
set up in a 4-6, 6-1, 6-0 loss to Italy’s
Camila Giorgi, while Spain’s world
No 4, Paula Badosa, retired at 6-3,
2-1 down to Veronika Kudermetova
with a right knee injury.Daniil Medvedev, meanwhile, is
one of six players from Russia and
Belarus, who are competing here as
neutral athletes, to have reached
the last 16 across the men’s and
women’s singles draws.
Medvedev, 26, advanced to
the second week without
dropping a set. The US
Open champion,
seeded No 2 in Paris,
yesterday beat Miomir
Kecmanovic, the 28th
seed, 6-2, 6-4, 6-2.
No British singles
player progressed further
than the third round, but
there has been better success in
the doubles, with two
representatives from this nation
reaching the quarter-finals. Joe
Salisbury and his American partner,
Rajeev Ram, the top seeds, beat
Maxime Cressy and Feliciano
López, 7-5, 6-4, while Lloyd
Glasspool and Finland’s Harri
Heliovaara saw off Hugo Nys and
Jan Zielinski 7-6 (9-7), 6-3.SWIATEK CONTINUES WINNING STREAK...
AND WHO WILL BE ABLE TO STOP HER?
ambitious young guns on the sport’s
biggest stages throughout his long
professional career.
“Obviously he has surprised
everyone with his results this year,”
the world No 1 and 20-times grand-
slam champion from Serbia said. “It’s
deserved and he’s a hardworking guy
who is very talented. We all praise
him a lot.
“Now it’s time to go back to
ourselves, even though we do
appreciate his game and what he’s
bringing to tennis. Grand slams are
different, playing best of five. The
experience that Rafa and I have, and
guys like [Stefanos] Tsitsipas and
Zverev who have been here already
for a few years, could help.
“It’s not necessarily the deciding
factor in who’s going to take the win
or take the match. You could see that
both Alcaraz and Zverev struggled,
both of them saving match points, so
you know you can’t take anything for
granted. You can’t underestimate any
opponent. But a grand slam really
awakens the biggest motivation and
inspiration to play your best for every
single player.”THE TOAST OF PARIS
in the ATP Masters 1000 or another
best-of-three-sets tournament than in
grand slams, but I would say that
I’m ready.”
Alcaraz, already ranked No 6 in the
world, has momentum behind him
with 31 victories in 34 matches this
year, and his physical strength means
that he has an impressive record in
extended battles for someone so
young. Normally players of his
age take time to adjust to the more
taxing format but he has won six of
eight matches to have gone beyond
three sets. At last year’s US Open
he became the youngest man to
win back-to-back five-setters at a
grand-slam tournament since
Michael Chang, 16, at Flushing
Meadows in 1988.
Alcaraz’s fellow contenders
remain hopeful that the pressure of
the occasion here will still have an
impact at some point. Djokovic has
observed his progress with interest
but is well used to conquering‘I’m aggressive all
the time — I think
I’m ready to beat
Djokovic or Nadal
at a grand slam’
Alcaraz, the
19-year-old
Spaniard, has
taken Roland
Garros by
storm with his
explosive,
energetic playANDY CHEUNG/GETTY IMAGES