Paris: Stefanos Tsitsipas expressed that the eagerly anticipated match between him and world No.1 Carlos Alcaraz in the French Open quarterfinals is one that has captured everyone’s attention.
The Greek No.5 seed was on his game Sunday evening, beating qualifier Sebastian Ofner 7-5, 6-3, 6-0 in a straight-setter, setting up a blockbuster quarterfinal showdown against Alcaraz, with the winner possibly to meet Novak Djokovic for a spot in the final.
“I think everyone was expecting it, weren’t they? And it’s here. It’s game on,” Tsitsipas told reporters at Roland-Garros.
Alcaraz has owned his head-to-head against Tsitsipas, starting with what was the young Spaniard’s breakout win in the third round of the US Open in 2021, Alcaraz winning in a fifth-set tiebreak.
The Spaniard holds a 4-0 head-to-head record against Tsitsipas overall, including a straight-sets win in the Barcelona final earlier this clay season.
The Greek further said currently the young Spaniard is the biggest opponent as he poses a significant hurdle and difficulty for any player aiming to compete against him.
“I need to play good tennis. Carlos is someone that is not going to give you gaps where his attention is not there. He’s very hyper, very energetic. He adds a lot of that into the rallies,” Tsitsipas said.
“Right now, he’s one of the biggest obstacles and challenges for any player to compete against. It pushes us all to be better. Rivalries like this, they are the toughest thing you can get in our sport,” he added.
Tsitsipas has reached at least the quarterfinals in three of his past four appearances at the clay-court major. The 24-year-old has played his best tennis at the majors this season, having also advanced to the final of the Australian Open.
IANS
