Teenager Alcaraz crushes Khachanov to reach quarter-finals

 Carlos Alcaraz pummelled Karen Khachanov into submission in a 6-1 6-4 6-4 victory on Sunday to reach the French Open quarter-finals and stretch his winning run to 14 matches.

The 19-year-old, who has taken the tennis world by storm this year, became the youngest male player in 29 years to reach two Grand Slam quarter-finals after also making the U.S. Open last eight.

“It has been a great match from my side. I played really well from the beginning until the end of the match,” he said. “I knew I had to be really focused from the beginning.”

“I expected the level that I played. I started really well and I kept the level for the whole match. I am very happy with it.”

He needed just 29 minutes to storm through the first set with his special mix of raw power, punishing forehands and deft drop shots that made his 26-year-old opponent look old.

Khachanov, the world number 25 and a quarter-finalist in Paris in 2019, managed to hold serve early in the second set but the Spaniard broke him at 3-3, and never looked back.

The pair traded breaks midway through the third set on a chilly and overcast evening in the French capital but it was Alcaraz who pulled ahead with yet another break after an eye-popping ‘tweener’ lob over the tall Russian.

He wobbled a bit at the end, wasting five match points on Khachanov’s serve, but that only delayed the inevitable by one game, as he sealed victory on his serve minutes later.

World number six Alcaraz, who now has a 19-1 win-loss record on clay this season after winning back-to-back titles in Barcelona and Madrid in April and May, will next face third seed Alexander Zverev, who beat qualifier Bernabe Zapata Miralles in straight sets.

“Sasha (Zverev) is playing a great game. He is real aggressive and it will be a tough match,” Alcaraz said. “Best of five against him will be tough. He has beaten great players in Grand Slams.”

“I like to play tough, close matches so it is going to be a good match.”

Should the stars align for Alcaraz, he could eventually take on either world number one and defending champion Novak Djokovic or 13-time Roland Garros winner Rafael Nadal in the last four.

HIGHLIGHTS DAY 8

2140 ALCARAZ KNOCKS OUT KHACHANOV

Sixth seed Carlos Alcaraz moved past Karen Khachanov with a 6-1 6-4 6-4 victory to become the youngest man to reach two Grand Slam quarter-finals since Andrei Medvedev in 1993.

Khachanov tried to fight back after Alcaraz thrashed him in the first set but the Spaniard eventually overpowered him on the back of a strong first serve.

1839 NADAL DIGS DEEP TO BEAT AUGER-ALIASSIME

Rafa Nadal, the 13-times champion in Paris, reached the quarter-finals by defeating Canadian ninth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime 3-6 6-3 6-2 3-6 6-3 in nearly 4-1/2 hours.

The 21-times major winner will face top-ranked Novak Djokovic in the quarter-finals.

1825 STEPHENS DOWNS TEICHMANN

American Sloane Stephens, the 2018 finalist, reached the quarter-finals with a commanding 6-2 6-0 win over Swiss 23rd seed Jil Teichmann.

Stephens will face Coco Gauff in all-American quarter-final clash.

1658 ZVEREV SHAKES OFF STUBBORN ZAPATA MIRALLES

Third seed Alexander Zverev ended Spanish qualifier Bernabe Zapata Miralles’s dream run at Roland Garros with a 7-6(11) 7-5 6-3 win after a topsy-turvy two hours and 45 minutes to advance to the quarter-finals for the fourth time in five years.

Zverev will take on either Carlos Alcaraz or Karen Khachanov for a place in the last four.

1351 GAUFF DOWNS MERTENS

American 18-year-old Gauff advanced to the quarter-finals in Paris for the second straight year with a 6-4 6-0 win over Belgian 31st seed Elise Mertens.

1346 DJOKOVIC EASES PAST SCHWARTZMAN

World number one Djokovic reached the quarter-finals for the 16th time after the Serbian defeated Argentine 15th seed Diego Schwartzman 6-1 6-3 6-3.

1204 FERNANDEZ SEES OFF ANISIMOVA

U.S. Open runner-up Leylah Fernandez advanced to the quarter-finals in Paris for the first time after clinching a 6-3 4-6 6-3 win over Amanda Anisimova in just under two hours.

Fernandez, 19, will take on Martina Trevisan after the Italian beat Aliaksandra Sasnovich 7-6(10) 7-5.

0910 PLAY UNDER WAY

Play began under sunny skies at Roland Garros, with the temperature hovering around 13 degrees Celsius (56 degrees Fahrenheit).