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MEN'S DAY 6 WRAP: Frustrated Rublev knocked out; Alcaraz, Sinner advance

general31 May 2024 21:15| © AFP
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Sixth seed Andrey Rublev said he was disappointed with his behaviour after he lost to inspired Italian Matteo Arnaldi in the third round of the French Open on Friday.

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The 23-year-old Arnaldi saved a set point in the opening set and went on to dominate his emotionally-charged opponent for a 7-6(8) 6-2 6-4 victory to equal his best Grand Slam run.

Russian Rublev ranted and raged at himself as the match began to slip away, thumping his racket into his legs and kicking his courtside bench as another chance at a deep Grand Slam run came to a bitter end on the Parisian dust.

"Completely disappointed with the way I behaved, the way I performed, and I don't remember behaving worse in a Grand Slam ever," Rublev, well known for struggling to contain his frustrations on court, told reporters.

"I think it was the first time I ever behave that bad. I think it's not about concentration. The way I behave I put myself completely down, and I gave Matteo wings to fly, and he was flying in the third set unbelievable."

Arnaldi, who also reached the fourth round of last year's US Open, was rock-solid throughout and barely put a foot wrong as he posted one the biggest wins of his career.

Rublev has reached 10 Grand Slam quarterfinals without ever going further but on this occasion even that proved beyond him as he could find no answer to Arnaldi's accuracy and power.

He is the highest-seeded casualty so far in the men's draw.

Arnaldi will play either Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas or China's Zhang Zhizhen for a place in the quarterfinals.

There was nothing between the players in the opening set and it was the same in the tiebreak in which Arnaldi took a 5-3 lead only for Rublev to win the next three points.

Rublev could not convert his set point though and was then left shaking his head as Arnaldi claimed the opener, sprinting from behind the baseline to reach a drop shot and angle a stunning winner past the Russian.

"The first set was very important for me, because you know I'm not the favourite so going after a set like this down one set to love it's never easy," Arnaldi said on court.

"It's incredible, I mean I think I played the best tennis for sure in my life I would say."

Service breaks were exchanged early in the second set but Rublev began to boil as his forehand could not punch holes in the defences of his opponent.

Arnaldi found the dampish court more to his liking with his shots appearing to have more penetration and Rublev buckled as his emotions once again began to get the better of him.

Arnaldi broke for a 4-3 lead in the third set and duly completed his first Grand Slam win against a top-10 player.

ALCARAZ FELLS KORDA

Third seed Carlos Alcaraz sparkled and showed steely resolve in his most convincing match at the French Open this year for a 6-4 7-6(5) 6-3 victory over American Sebastian Korda to reach the fourth round.

Still wearing a compression sleeve after a recent forearm issue, Alcaraz produced a stellar show in a rematch of the duo's 2022 encounter to firmly put himself back in the conversation as the favourite to lift the title in Paris and a third major.

"I feel amazing, feel great playing on this court. Obviously I have great memories here," Alcaraz said.

"Great matches I've played before. I'm feeling better and better every match I play. The crowd was amazing. Every day it's even better. I'm excited to play in the second week in Paris again. Hopefully I'll keep going."

The lively Alcaraz broke Korda in a close opening game but the world number three allowed his 27th-seeded opponent to hit back instantly and drag him into a fight on a cold evening on Court Philippe Chatrier.

He revved up his backhand to set up the opportunity to break for a 5-4 lead, pouncing when Korda netted a flying volley after surging forward, and the 21-year-old Spaniard took the opening set by holding serve to love in the following game.

The 2023 semi-finalist was clearly in the mood to entertain the evening crowd early in the next as he pulled off a sideways tweener that Korda dealt with at the net, and later lobbed the 23-year-old with a backhand from deep to draw level at 1-1.

Korda, who arrived in Paris hoping to emulate his father Petr's 1992 feat of reaching the Roland Garros final, could do little to stop his showman opponent from breaking but hung on during fierce rallies to hit back and level at 3-3.

Alcaraz let out a scream after blasting a 101 mph forehand to win the tie break and double his lead in the contest and the finish line appeared in sight when he broke for a 3-1 lead in the third set, which he wrapped up with a neat volley.

SINNER CRUISES INTO SECOND WEEK

Earlier, World number two Jannik Sinner eased into the fourth round with a ruthless 6-4 6-4 6-4 victory over Russian Pavel Kotov, but said he still had to improve his fitness after a recent hip injury derailed his preparations.

Wearing a long-sleeve undershirt on yet another chilly day, Sinner only faced one break point in a one-sided clash to make it 10 straight victories at the majors this year after his Australian Open triumph.

But the lanky 22-year-old had spent the days in the lead-up to Roland Garros nursing a hip problem that threatened to spoil his plans of winning a second major title.

"I worked on certain movements on the court. You can prevent them a little bit in the gym, but you have to go through in the matches because in the matches you have to move well," Sinner told reporters.

"We were working a lot trying to be in the position where I am right now. I'm happy at the moment knowing I have to improve the physical shape for the next round.

"But let's see what we can do tomorrow. Rest is very important in Grand Slams, so I'll try to rest as much as I can. Tennis-wise, I felt quite good on the court trying to mix up the game a little bit more like I used to do."

Kotov, who was hoping to beat a second Grand Slam champion in a row after eliminating Swiss Stan Wawrinka in the previous round, got off to a fiery start but Sinner was still a level above him in the first set.

The Italian got another early break in the second to move two sets up and the same pattern was repeated in the third as Sinner wrapped up victory with an ace on match point.

He had also beaten Kotov in straight sets in the Madrid Masters in April but said Friday's clash was very different.

"I'm happy to be in the next round. It was a tough match. He's a very good player. I played against him not so long ago, so he changed a couple of things," said Sinner, who now faces Austrian Sebastian Ofner or local favourite Corentin Moutet.

"The general physical shape isn't where I want it to be. We try to prepare my body in the best possible way," Sinner added.

"The weather today was also different. It was very cold, so it's also different to play. The balls and the court are heavy. But these are situations you have to go through, you have to accept, and I'm trying to look forward."

TSITSIPAS GLIDES PAST ZHANG 

Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas cruised past China's Zhang Zhizhen 6-3 6-3 6-1 on Friday, reaching the fourth round of the French Open for the sixth year in a row.

The finalist in 2021 sent more than 30 winners to wrap up the match in just 91 minutes, setting up a meeting with Italian Matteo Arnaldi, who stunned sixth seed Andrey Rublev earlier on Friday.

Zhang became the first Chinese man in 86 years to win a main-draw match at Roland Garros last year en route to the third round, but could not improve on that showing as he was never able to set up a break-point chance.

"It's great to see myself in a position to get out there and play so effectively but also accurately at the same time," said Tsitsipas, ranking it among the best performances he has produced at the clay court tournament.

"I feel like my shots were very precise. Wherever I was aiming, I was able to produce some really high-quality shots."

The ninth-ranked Tsitsipas came charging out of the gate, winning the first three games, and kept up the momentum as he broke Zhang on his second try in the opening game of the second set.

Tsitsipas played pristine tennis, producing just three unforced errors in the second set, as he broke Zhang again in the ninth game.

Zhang struggled with his forehand late in the match and sent shots out of bounds on back-to-back points to hand Tsitsipas the break in the fourth game of the third set, and the Greek ran away with it from there.

Tsitsipas, who picked up his third Masters 1000 title in Monte Carlo last month, said he would need to approach his next opponent Arnaldi with caution.

"I have been keeping an eye on him. I know exactly what kind of a profile of player he is," he told reporters.

"He's a very good fighter. When it comes to the battle, he will fight and he will not give up. This is something for sure that I do expect."

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