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Spaniard next plays Paul
June 01, 2025
Carlos Alcaraz defeats Ben Shelton to reach the quarter-finals at Roland Garros for the fourth consecutive year.
DIMITAR DILKOFF/AFP via Getty Images
Carlos Alcaraz defeats Ben Shelton to reach the quarter-finals at Roland Garros for the fourth consecutive year.
By Sam Jacot
Carlos Alcaraz captured his 100th tour-level win on clay Sunday when he overcame Ben Shelton in an entertaining fourth-round clash at Roland Garros.

On Court Philippe-Chatrier, in a match filled with dynamic shot-making, high-quality net play, and a commendable display of sportsmanship, Alcaraz emerged victorious with a 7-6(8), 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 triumph in three hours and 19 minutes.

Under the Parisian Sunday sun, both came out firing. Alcaraz saved three set points in the first set to lead and then continued to redirect Shelton’s heavy power with his fast hands in the second set to take further control. The American briefly gained a foothold by clinching the third set but Alcaraz responded in the fourth to advance to the quarter-finals at the clay-court major for the fourth consecutive year.

"Today I fought against myself, against the mind," Alcaraz said. "I just tried to calm myself. In some moments I was mad, I was angry with myself. Talking not really good things but I am really happy to not let those thoughts play against me. I tried to calm myself down and I tried to keep going. That is what I tried."


The defending champion in Paris, Alcaraz is chasing his fifth major this fortnight and third clay-court title of the season, having triumphed at ATP Masters 1000 events in Monte-Carlo and Rome.

The Spaniard, who missed Madrid due to an injury, will next meet American Tommy Paul. Alcaraz leads Paul 4-2 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

Alcaraz dropped sets against Fabian Marozsan and Damir Dzumhur earlier this week but was pushed much harder by World No. 13 Shelton, who pummelled his groundstrokes in the lively Parisian conditions.

"We have huge respect for each other," Alcaraz said when asked about Shelton. "Every time we face each other, we [bring] the top level. We played really good tennis and entertained the fans. He is a really powerful player, he can make any shot. I think we played really great tennis. Coming to the net, drop shots, forehands. For me it is great having Ben around. I think it is great energy for the people and I love watching Ben play."

The American had three chances to win the first set but hit a costly forehand error on serve at 8/8 in the tie-break before Alcaraz sealed the opener with a whipped forehand down the line.

At the start of the second set, the Spaniard offered a standout moment of sportsmanship when he called a foul on himself at 0-0, 30/30. After approaching the net off a forehand and placing a volley into the open court, Shelton scrambled and fired a powerful crosscourt forehand, forcing Alcaraz to stretch fully for the reply. The 22-year-old managed to make contact and appeared to hit a clean volley winner.

The point was initially awarded to Alcaraz, but the World No. 2 immediately alerted the umpire that he had lost his grip on the racquet mid-stretch and had made contact with the ball while it was no longer in his hand.

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Alcaraz went on to hold and then win the set. At 4-4 in the third, Alcaraz squandered a break point chance at 30/40 and Shelton held and then broke Alcaraz, gaining a foothold in the match. However, Alcaraz responded with consistent aggression in the fourth set to improve to 3-0 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series against Shelton.

Alcaraz is aiming to become just the third man this century to successfully defend his Roland Garros title, alongside Rafael Nadal (10 times) and Gustavo Kuerten (2001).

Shelton was competing in the fourth round in Paris for the first time. The 22-year-old, who defeated Lorenzo Sonego in five sets in the first round, is up one spot to No. 12 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings.

World No. 2 shares his thoughts ahead of his quarter-final match in Paris
June 02, 2025
Carlos Alcaraz faces Tommy Paul on Tuesday in Paris.
Peter Staples/ATP Tour
Carlos Alcaraz faces Tommy Paul on Tuesday in Paris.
By ATPTour.com/es Staff
After taking Paris Saint Germain to its first Champions League title, Luis Enrique, the team's Spanish coach, was surprised about how well his players had handled the pressure of the big game, particularly his young stars like Désiré Doué (19), who would later be named man of the match in the final against Inter Milan.

Doué, Lamine Yamal (Barcelona’s 17-year-old wonderkid) and Carlos Alcaraz (22) are of the same generation, but there is something else that unites them. They are all athletes who are seemingly unfazed by pressure and have no fear of failure.

“Honestly, I can identify with that,” acknowledged Alcaraz. “Ultimately, it’s true that we might feel more pressure for longer during a match, or throughout a tournament. I’ve always said that it’s in those moments of pressure that you can identify the great athletes, the way they handle all of that makes the difference between a truly great athlete and a good one.

”I always tell myself in those moments that I have to give more, I have to give something extra, I have to go for it and be unafraid. That’s why I can identify with what Luis Enrique said. I also saw the match and it was an amazing final for some players.”

Alcaraz plays Tommy Paul (4-2 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series) on Tuesday for a ticket to the Roland Garros semi-finals and he does so with the peace of mind of having progressed in a task he set himself last year after winning his first Coupe des Mousquetaires. The Spaniard put an emphasis on winning matches playing badly, knowing how to struggle and digging deep when the magic isn’t there.

”We’re learning,” Alcaraz said with a touch of pride. “Ultimately, one of the things I’d also like to improve is my consistency, that’s obvious. We’re maintaining a high level for a long time, we’re learning to find solutions when things aren’t going well, instead of getting angry and not thinking.

”It’s something we’ve been learning with time. I’m 22 years old, and it was also time to mature a little.”

Alcaraz shared a laugh. This is another trait of this generation of young talent — they enjoyed success so quickly, at such a young age, that the road ahead of them and the time they have left to improve is practically limitless.

Spaniard next faces Musetti

Carlos Alcaraz
© Julian Finney/Getty Images

by Sam Jacot

Match Report — Jun 03

Carlos Alcaraz produced his best performance of the tournament on Tuesday at Roland Garros, where he dispatched American Tommy Paul 6-0, 6-1, 6-4 to reach the semi-finals in Paris for the third consecutive year.

At the end of the second set, Alcaraz had dropped just one game and looked on course to set a new personal best result at a major. The Spaniard’s most lopsided major win came against J.J. Wolf in the first round at the clay-court major last year when he dropped just four games.

While he was unable to better that record on Tuesday, the 22-year-old was still able to advance in rapid time, producing a red-hot display during the rout on Court Philippe-Chatrier.

The 22-year-old timed the ball cleanly off both wings to hit through the defences of Paul, constantly rushing the American with his incredible depth and heavy topspin. Paul had given Alcaraz problems in the past, winning meetings in Montreal in 2022 and Miami in 2023. However, the 28-year-old, who struggled with an abdominal injury earlier in the tournament, could not to gain any foothold against Alcaraz under the Parisian night sky.

The second seed struck 39 winners and committed 22 unforced errors to improve to 5-2 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series, having also beaten Paul en route to the silver medal at the Paris Olympics in 2024.

With his one-hour, 34-minute victory, Alcaraz became the first defending champion to reach the semi-finals the following year since Rafael Nadal in 2021.

It All Adds Up

The 22-year-old will aim to advance to his fifth major final when he takes on Lorenzo Musetti in the semi-finals on Friday.

Alcaraz now owns a 32-2 record on clay since last May, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, highlighted by his maiden Roland Garros title. The No. 2 player in the PIF ATP Rankings has won ATP Masters 1000 titles on the surface in 2025 in Monte-Carlo and Rome.

Alcaraz is aiming to become just the third man this century to successfully defend his Roland Garros title, alongside Rafael Nadal (10 times) and Gustavo Kuerten (2001).

Paul was competing in the quarter-finals at Roland Garros for the first time, having become the first American man, alongside Frances Tiafoe, to reach the last eight in Paris since Andre Agassi in 2003. The 28-year-old is up four spots to No. 8 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings and is set to rise to a career-high on Monday.