Break Carlitos’ curse. It will arrive with these premises Stefanos Tsitsipas to the quarter-finals of Roland Garros, ready for the sixth act of a rivalry that still sees him without victories. Carlos Alcaraz he is a real bête noire for the Greek tennis player.
Five victories in as many matches in favor of the Spaniard, who from the first clash against Tsitsipas at the 2021 US Open won in the tiebreak of the fifth, lost only one set in the subsequent matches, including the final of the 2023 ATP 500 in Barcelona.
The 25-year-old from Athens had to work hard to get through to the quarter-finals of the Parisian slam, risking having to recover a 2-set deficit against the Italian Matteo Arnaldi. After the tiebreak of the second set, however, the match changed, with Stefanos finding the courage and strength to quell the fury of the Italian tennis player, prevailing in 4 sets.
At the end of the match the former number three joked about his next challenge against the two-time slam champion, sending a message to Alcaraz.
The words of Stefanos Tsitsipas
During the courtside interview, the Greek tennis player responded to Fabrice Santoro’s question, who asked him if he had watched the draw to see who his next opponent was.
Tsitsipas replied no and inquired about his next meeting, which will be with Carlos Alcaraz. At that point the 25-year-old commented: “Yes, ok, we know. He has said in the past that he likes playing against me.
I hope he likes it a little less this time. I hope I can make him feel that it’s not so comfortable playing against me. This is my goal for the match. I hope I can take advantage of the opportunities on my side.
And to be able to create a fantastic atmosphere like today. These are the moments I look forward to as a tennis player.” Tsitsipas will therefore be looking for his first success against the current world number three.
