By Shrivathsa Sridhar
PARIS (Reuters) -Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz deftly handled a dangerous opponent at the French Open when he defeated unseeded Hungarian Fabian Marozsan 6-1 4-6 6-1 6-2 to charge into the third round on Wednesday.
Spaniard Alcaraz was toppled by Marozsan on the claycourts of Rome two years ago and had moments of vulnerability on Court Philippe-Chatrier but the 22-year-old ensured there would be no unwanted encore ending his bid for a fifth Grand Slam title.
“It was a great match. I started playing well. In the first set, I had really high confidence. In the second set, he started to play much better and he was really aggressive,” Alcaraz said.
“He didn’t miss at all so it was a little difficult to deal with his game in the second set but I’m really happy I stayed strong and refreshed myself.
“In the third set, I started to play better and better which helped me have a really good last two sets… I just want to show good tennis. I want to make sure people are happy watching my match as well. That’s the way I enjoy playing tennis.”
Playing beneath the centre court roof on a soggy Parisian afternoon, Alcaraz rained blows upon his 56th-ranked opponent to go ahead 4-0 and easily claimed the opening set despite stepping off the gas.
Marozsan dug deeper into his bag of tricks and found some exquisite drop shots that nearly earned him a double break in the second set before the 25-year-old confirmed the shift in momentum by levelling the contest.
Alcaraz cranked up the intensity of his muscular ballet on the red dirt and took control of the match by winning the third set but his electric tennis became erratic again in the fourth as he traded breaks with Marozsan.
He got his nose in front again, however, and strangled the hopes of Marozsan with a sliding volley around the net en route to a 5-2 lead before prevailing to set up a clash with either Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard or Damir Dzumhur.
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Paris; editing by Clare Fallon)
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