Alcaraz passes difficult de Jong test at Roland Garros

Carlos Alcaraz overcame a stern test from Dutch qualifier Jesper de Jong on Wednesday at Roland Garros, where he eventually prevailed in four sets to reach the third round.

The Spaniard started well but dropped his level in the third set and trailed by a break in the fourth. However, with the situation starting to get serious, Alcaraz regained concentration and re-found consistency to advance 6-3, 6-4, 2-6, 6-2.

"As I have said many times, any player can put you in trouble," Alcaraz said. "You have to be very focused every match and every point and every round. It does not matter if I am at the top of the rankings and playing someone outside the Top 100. You have to think you have to play at your best if you want to get through. The ranking doesn't matter, it matters the level to keep going and I am sure he will break the Top 100."

The No. 3 player in the PIF ATP Rankings is competing for the first time since Madrid after he missed Rome due to an arm injury. Alcaraz blitzed J.J. Wolf for the loss of just four games in his opening match in Paris but showed signs of rustiness against de Jong in the pair’s first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting.

The 23-year-old de Jong troubled Alcaraz with his consistent depth but tired in the closing stages of the match, having entered off the back of a four-hour, five-set win against Jack Draper in the first round.

Alcaraz hit 35 winners but committed 47 unforced errors under the roof on Court Philippe Chatrier. He eventually sealed victory after three hours and eight minutes when de Jong struck a forehand into the net. The 20-year-old will hope to improve when he plays Sebastian Korda or Soonwoo Kwon in the third round.

"The third set I needed to forget about putting on a show and put myself in the chance of putting myself in the rallies," Alcaraz said. "It was difficult for me to do it. I was in trouble a little bit but I am very happy to do it at the end."

Alcaraz is chasing his third major, having won the US Open in 2022 and Wimbledon in 2023. His best result at the clay-court Slam came in 2023, when he fell to Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals.