Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz advanced to the third round of the French Open on Wednesday, overcoming a second-set hiccup to defeat Hungary’s Fabian Marozsan 6-1, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2. The victory marks Alcaraz’s 17th win in his last 18 clay-court matches this season.
“Second set, he started to play better and he didn’t miss a lot so it was a little bit difficult to deal with his game,” Alcaraz commented after the match. “I’m really happy I stayed strong and refreshed myself. In the third set, I started to play better and better which helped me have a really good last two sets.”
The second-seeded Spaniard, a four-time Grand Slam champion, will now face Bosnia’s Damir Dzumhur for a place in the last 16.
In the women’s draw, top contender Iga Swiatek maintained her dominance on clay, brushing aside Emma Raducanu 6-1, 6-2 in a commanding display. The world number one has now won all five of her encounters with the British player and extended her Roland Garros win streak to 23 matches, bringing her career record at the tournament to 37-2.
Swiatek, who is eyeing a fourth consecutive French Open title—a feat last accomplished by Suzanne Lenglen over a century ago—continues to show why she remains a favorite in Paris despite a recent dip in form.
“Honestly, I just love playing here. This place inspires me and that makes me work harder,” said Swiatek, who won her first Roland Garros title in 2020 as a teenager. She next faces Romania’s Jaqueline Cristian for a spot in the fourth round.
Swiatek’s position in the draw sets her on a potential collision course with world number one Aryna Sabalenka, Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen, and last year’s runner-up Jasmine Paolini—all located in the same half.
Sabalenka, meanwhile, overcame a slow start to defeat Switzerland’s Jil Teichmann with relative ease, continuing her own strong form in the tournament.
