The new ‘Prince of Clay’ is en route to regaining his form as he is smooth sailing in the China Open. After listing out in the US Open, the Roland Garros 2024 winner brought his A-list game to make advances in the China Open.
Fans watching Alcaraz unleash the hints of his dominance when he played at Roland Garros.
All the fans with French Open tickets saw the same movement in him this year.
Alcaraz Gets Back Win-Streak
Carlos Alcaraz barrelled into the China Open quarter-finals on Sunday in 56 minutes as 595th-ranked Zhang Shuai extended her historic run.
Rain in Beijing played havoc with the schedule, but four-time Grand Slam champion Alcaraz made rapid progress under the roof of the Diamond Court with a 6-1, 6-2 demolition of Tallon Griekspoor.
The 39th-ranked Dutchman looked shellshocked. Alcaraz, the second seed behind Jannik Sinner, faces seventh-seeded Karen Khachanov next after an ominous showing of intent from the 21-year-old Spaniard.
The Russian Khachanov booked his place with a hard-fought 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (11/9) victory over Argentina´s Francisco Cerundolo. In the only other match completed on the day in the men´s draw, Chinese wildcard Bu Yunchaokete pulled off a shock 6-2, 6-4 win over Italian sixth seed Lorenzo Musetti.
There was home joy, too, in the women´s draw as another Chinese wildcard, Zhang Shuai, reached the last 16 to add another chapter to her fairytale tournament.
The 35-year-old had not won a singles match in more than 600 days when she arrived at the prestigious WTA 1000 event last week.
The two-time Grand Slam singles quarter-finalist, whose injuries have plagued them, has now won three matches in a row after a 6-2, 6-3 defeat of Belgium´s Greet Minnen. Zhang, who faced Minnen as the lowest-ranked player to reach the China Open third round in the tournament´s history, faces Poland´s 23rd seed Magdalena Frech next.
Zhang hails from Tianjin, near Beijing, and said she felt very much at home on the hard courts of the Chinese capital. So, at home, she compared herself jokingly to the Spanish great Rafael Nadal on his favorite surface of the French Open.
“When I am on the court, I feel like Rafa Nadal on Court Philippe-Chatrier,” she laughed. US Open runner-up Jessica Pegula survived a scare to set up a meeting with Spain´s Paula Badosa. The second seed from the United States fought back to beat Russia´s Veronika Kudermetova 6-7 (9/11), 6-1, 6-2.
The 30-year-old Pegula is chasing a seventh WTA Tour title. The 19th-ranked Badosa booked her place with a straight-sets win over Slovakian qualifier Rebecca Sramkova. The top women´s seed in Beijing is Aryna Sabalenka, who defeated Pegula in New York earlier this month for her third Grand Slam crown. World number one Iga Swiatek is not in Beijing because of “personal matters.”
Roland Garros Burgled
In more shocking news for fans loyal to their French Open tickets, Roland Garros reportedly had a bad break.
The French Tennis Federation told AFP on Sunday that it had filed a complaint following a burglary at the Roland Garros stadium.
The French tennis governing body, which manages the Paris stadium, told AFP that thieves broke in on Thursday night, ransacking several offices and stealing branded products, including wristbands.
“An investigation is underway, and a complaint has been lodged,” said the Federation without confirming the total value of the stolen goods, which French news channels put at 30,000 euros (33,500 dollars).
Former Roland Garros Champions Announces Retirement
Former top 20 singles player and Roland Garros doubles champion Pablo Cuevas has retired. The Uruguayan revealed that his 20-year professional career ‘surpassed dreams’.
Cuevas has only played two matches this year, using his protected ranking to enter the Australian Open and, most recently, US Open qualifying.
The final match of his career was in the first round of qualifying in New York, and Cuevas lost in straight sets to Frenchman Luca Van Assche.
Now, the Uruguayan has taken to Instagram to announce his retirement from the sport with a lengthy statement.
“This journey began with a dream… with the innocence of a boy who wanted to be a tennis player,” said Cuevas. “From kayaking on the Uruguay River to [Court] Philippe Chatrier, so many lived experiences.. reality surpassed dreams.
“Tennis has been more than a sport; it has been my passion, daily motivation, and the reason I woke up every morning to improve.”
Cuevas won six singles titles, enabling him to reach a career-high ranking of World No.19 in 2016.
He also found success on the doubles court. Cuevas’ greatest triumph came at Roland Garros in 2008, winning the title alongside Peruvian Luis Horna. For many tennis fans with French Open tickets, it was a stunning display of tennis from the duo at the time.
The 38-year-old continued his Instagram post, relaying the ups and downs of his career and speaking about the honor of competing against Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic.
“In the middle, I go through it all.. from spectacular results to storms in which time seemed to move slower, and uncertainty was total,” detailed Cuevas. “Sport, like life, surprises you, and often you have to choose with more doubts than certainty. But what I never doubted is how fortunate I was in this 20+ year career.”
Cuevas continued, “How many trips and places, how many people I met off the court, and what tremendous players inside. Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, to name a few, this was a wonderful era. Everything I learned and the happiness with which I went through this path, week after week, assembling and disarming the bag, tournament after tournament, always with the illusion intact.”
The statement concluded with Cuevas thanking his family and friends for helping support his career as he prepares to move into the next chapter of his life.
Roland Garros 2025 Dates Announced
The 2025 edition of the French Open will take place from May 25 to June 8. French Open tickets from the primary draws will soon be available for EOI, and other French Open tickets will follow.