Back in the third round of a Grand Slam after seven years, Damir Dzumhur takes on French Open champion Carlos Alcaraz in Friday's round-three matchup, seeking to upset the Roland Garros favourite.
The Bosnian former No. 22 player survived an injury scare to his knee in the fourth set of his victory over 31st seed Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, setting up a first ATP Tour meeting with the defending champion, who played exhibition tennis in his victory over Fabian Marozsan earlier on Wednesday.
Match preview
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Dzumhur's prospects of a first third-round appearance at a Major since 2018 appeared to take a hit when he seemed to have snapped his knee early in the fourth set against Mpetshi Perricard.
Writhing in pain on the dirt, the 33-year-old's box looked on in concern, fearing for the player's health as medical experts checked on the former world No. 22.
Able to continue, the three-time ATP champion's condition improved as the set progressed, and he secured the all-important break of serve to seal a 7-6(4), 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 victory over the big-serving Frenchman.
Entering this year's French Open, Dzumhur had not won a Grand Slam match since his first-round victory at the 2019 US Open over Elliot Benchetrit before losing to Roger Federer; however, he has notched two wins to progress to a third round-three appearance in Paris and his sixth overall.
Those appearances in 2015 and 2018 ended in losses to Federer and Alexander Zverev, and the world No. 69 aims to be third-time lucky against the in-form Alcaraz on Friday.
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Ignore the dropped set against Marozsan for a moment and admire the Spanish sensation's breathtaking performance in outplaying his Hungarian opponent, who had outwitted the second seed in their previous meeting on clay two years ago in Rome.
There would be no repeat for the underdog this time, as Alcaraz fired a staggering 41 winners to 25 unforced errors in sealing a 6-1, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 victory in just two hours and nine minutes on his return to Court Philippe-Chatrier.
Wednesday's victory marked the world No. 2's ninth in a row in Paris, where he continues his bid to be the first man since Rafael Nadal to defend the title at Roland Garros in the current millennium.
Those credentials already look strong for the second seed, whose only loss on clay this season came in the Barcelona Open final against Holger Rune, a defeat encircled by maiden title runs in Monte Carlo and Rome.
Alcaraz, whose victory over Marozsan was his 20th French Open win, enters Friday's third-round match at 17-1 for the season on clay, and will back himself to notch his 18th to continue his bid to retain the crown in Paris.
Tournament so far
Damir Dzumhur:
First round: vs. Thiago Agustin Tirante 3-6 6-4 6-3 7-5
Second round: vs. Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard 7-6[4] 6-3 4-6 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
Head To Head
Barcelona (2020) - Final: Alcaraz 4-6 6-2 6-1
Friday's encounter will be the first between Alcaraz and Dzumhur on the ATP Tour, with the victor taking a 1-0 lead in their head-to-head.
However, the pair faced off in a clay-court Challenger event in Barcelona five years ago, which the Spaniard won on home soil despite losing the opening set.
The Bosnian enters their French Open contest having not defeated a top-10 player in eight years, with his Shenzhen victory over Zverev being the last time he achieved success against the elite.
The 33-year-old has since endured 13 straight losses to top players, highlighting his struggles against the best competition.
We say: Alcaraz to win in three sets
Although Alcaraz is prone to dips during games and between sets, evidenced by his slide in performance against Marozsan, the Spaniard is expected to dispatch Dzumhur with minimal fuss, extending the Bosnian's dismal run against top-10 players and continuing the second seed's winning streak in Paris.
