French Open 2024: Carlos Alcaraz survives scare to squeeze past Jesper de Jong in error-laden victory
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ByOli Gent
Updated 29/05/2024 at 16:26 GMT
Carlos Alcaraz was pushed to the limit by Dutch qualifier Jesper De Jong in the French Open second round, but the Spanish world No. 3 found a way through to beat his opponent 6-3 6-4 2-6 6-4 on Court Philippe-Chatrier. The 21-year-old's numerous unforced errors and De Jong's determination kept the Dutchman competitive, but ultimately it was Alcaraz's bursts of magic that saw him through.
French Open highlights - Alcaraz fends off De Jong as he avoids big upset
Carlos Alcaraz was not at his sterling best, but he delivered when it mattered to beat Jesper De Jong in four sets in the second round of the French Open.
The world No. 3 finally closed out a 6-3 6-4 2-6 6-2 victory after just over three hours on court, but he was pushed all the way by the qualifier.
The Spaniard dropped the third set as errors crept into his game, and his Dutch opponent drew much admiration from the crowd and commentators alike for his fighting spirit.
An outstanding backhand pass set up the break point that gave Alcaraz his first break of serve at 4-3, and he cracked the De Jong serve once more to round off the set with a nonchalant backhand volley on top of the net.
The 21-year-old saved a break point at 4-4 in the second, before a heavy forehand forced De Jong to send his return long and cede the set.
De Jong upped his levels as Alcaraz's disintegrated in the third, with the Dutchman scoring the unlikeliest of double-breaks, but the Spaniard finally got the job done in the fourth, seeing it out 6-4 as he rediscovered his winning touch to sail into the third round, where he will face either Sebastian Korda or Soonwoo Kwon.
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Alcaraz in trouble at start of fourth set as De Jong springs big surprise
The match started in the worst possible vein for Alcaraz, who was broken in his first service game by De Jong, who seemed completely unfazed by the grandiose occasion, and the Dutchman found himself 2-0 up thanks to a delicate backhand drop-shot winner, which would become a common theme of the encounter.
An immediate break-back response came from the third seed, who was slowly finding his rhythm as the pair traded service holds, before the deadlock was broken at 4-3 as Alcaraz seized the ascendancy.
De Jong had three break-back points of his own straight after, but Alcaraz dug deep to hold with two big forehand winners.
That would propel him on for the double-break to seal the first set, as the Spaniard displayed excellent all-court ability to dominate with his groundstrokes before adding the deft finishes with drop-shot winners, as seen by the set point that he converted.
De Jong almost started the second as he had the first with a break point opportunity from 40-0 down, but a crushing Alcaraz forehand winner swiftly closed that door.
Service holds continued to be traded until Alcaraz decided that he had had enough, stepping inside the baseline to crunch a few forehands down and reassert his authority on the match, taking the second 6-4.
However, it was the third set where complacency became a real issue for the young Spaniard, who had continued his momentum with a love-hold, but he was beaten by de Jong's clever court coverage and sudden net rushes, surviving a venomous Alcaraz pass attempt to take the break with a soft backhand drop-shot winner.
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Alcaraz very relieved to come through tough four-set match against De Jong
Wayward groundstrokes were what was letting Alcaraz down as the set wore on, and the two-time Grand Slam champion found himself a double-break down after he shanked another forehand into the tramlines.
Two massive backhands and a thundering, unreturnable serve halved de Jong's deficit, forcing Alcaraz to ponder at the sit-down.
Four straight breaks started a curious fourth set as Alcaraz's mistakes continued to haunt him, while de Jong was pulling out some scintillating winners, including a forehand on the swivel in the second game.
Alcaraz finally held at 3-2 to break the cycle, and a ripping forehand winner set up two break points in the following game. It was clear that de Jong was struggling with the physicality, and the Dutchman's shot landing wide of the tramline seemed to signal that the game was up.
Alcaraz had rediscovered his winning formula once more, cruising through the final two games with aplomb, and he displayed an almighty sigh of relief as de Jong netted a final forehand.
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Alcaraz admits he was in 'trouble' against De Jong at Roland-Garros
“This kind of tournament - every player can put you in trouble," Alcaraz said afterwards.
"You have to be really focused on every match and every point in every round, it doesn’t matter that I’m at the top of the rankings playing someone that is outside of the top 100.
"You have to think that you should play at your best if you want to get through. Obviously, the ranking doesn't matter. What matters is the work that he puts in, and he has the level to keep going, and I’m sure he’s going to break the top 100.
"In the first set, I knew that I had to forget about putting on a show and try to put myself in with a chance of being in the rally - five, six, seven balls in a point - it was difficult for me to do it.
"I was in trouble a little bit, and I had to do it at the end. The whole match, Jesper and I made some great drop shots, but I think he did it better than me.
"I’d rather not spend too much time on the court. I really want to be in good shape for the next round, but every match is different. One match can be an hour and a half, the next is three hours. It’s good for me to get the rhythm, but I’d rather spend less hours on court.”
You can watch every day of the 2024 French Open live and on-demand on discovery+.
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