The French Open fourth round on Sunday features a well-rested Ben Shelton bidding to snap Carlos Alcaraz's 10-match winning streak in Paris.
The American player returned to action against Matteo Gigante following a five-day rest after round-two opponent Hugo Gaston withdrew, and he dispatched the Italian player to set up a third matchup on the ATP Tour with the defending Roland Garros champion, who looked vulnerable for the first time in round three's victory over Damir Dzumhur.
Match preview
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Fans inside Court Philippe-Chatrier got what they wanted on Friday night as Alcaraz and Dzumhur played commendably in a four-set thriller that went three hours and 14 minutes.
Having dominated the opening two sets, it seemed like a straight-sets win in under two hours was on the cards for the defending champion, until his Bosnian opponent rallied and made the contest absorbing.
The 33-year-old's shot-making and execution, combined with the Spaniard's level dropping, forced a fourth set and looked to be heading for a decider when Alcaraz was down an early break; however, the four-time Grand Slam champion dug really deep to edge proceedings 6-1, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.
The upshot of Friday's win means the world No. 2 has recorded 21 victories at Roland Garros, where he has notched more ATP victories than any other event, surpassing Indian Wells (20).
Now into the fourth round in Paris for the fourth year running, Alcaraz, who has reached the last eight in the previous three appearances in the French capital, bids to make it four straight last-eight appearances.
Facing the booming serve of a fresh Shelton should pose even more challenges for the Spanish sensation, who aims to extend his 10-match French Open winning streak in Sunday's fourth-round contest.
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The United States player returned to the court for the first time since Sunday's thrilling five-setter against Lorenzo Sonego and notched a comfortable 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 success over another Italian to move into the tournament's fourth round for the first time.
Having exited in round one two years ago and made it to the third 12 months ago, this year's run already counts as progression for the 22-year-old left-handed player, who aims to clinch his second top-10 victory at a Grand Slam since beating Frances Tiafoe on home soil two years ago.
The 13th seed already made the last four in Australia in January when he was outclassed by Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals Down Under, and while much work remains to be done to get that far in Paris, Alcaraz's Philippe-Chatrier wobble on Friday should encourage the confident American ahead of Sunday's tussle.
A modest 7-4 record on clay entering the fourth round in Paris is boosted by Shelton's run to the Munich final, where he was beaten by Alexander Zverev in straight sets, a defeat that followed swift exits in Madrid and Rome.
Thus, it will be fascinating to see if the American player, who joined Tommy Paul and Tiafoe in the last 16, raises his level against the in-form player on the surface this weekend in what should be an absorbing battle for a place in the quarter-finals in Paris.
Tournament so far
Ben Shelton:
First round: vs. Lorenzo Sonego 6-4 4-6 3-6 6-2 6-3
Second round: vs. Hugo Gaston walkover
Third round: vs. Matteo Gigante 6-3 6-3 6-4
Carlos Alcaraz:
First round: vs. Giulio Zeppieri 6-3 6-4 6-2
Second round: vs. Fabian Marozsan 6-1 4-6 6-1 6-2
Third round: vs. Damir Dzumhur 6-1 6-3
Head To Head
Laver Cup (2024) - Round Robin: Alcaraz 6-4 6-4
Canadian Masters (2023) - Second round: Alcaraz 6-3 7-6(3)
Alcaraz leads his head-to-head with Shelton 2-0 heading into their third matchup on the ATP Tour.
The effervescent American has never managed to take a set off the world No. 2, coming close in their first meeting two years ago until the 19-time ATP champion claimed the second-set tie-break.
Shelton's dismal 5-14 record against top-10 players further highlights the uphill task in front of the two-time titlist, who has lost six of his eight meetings against elite opponents in the last year, defeating Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev at the Laver Cup and Basel Indoors, respectively.
We say: Alcaraz to win in four sets
Alcaraz losing focus and not executing as efficiently against Dzumhur after starting amazingly is standard for the defending champion, whose inclination to dip remains part and parcel of the Spaniard's game.
Although Shelton is expected to take a set off the second seed, the four-time Grand Slam champion is a superior player on clay and should see off the 22-year-old in four.
