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Quote of the Day: Even Carlos Alcaraz watches replays to believe some of his own shots

The top seed hit 42 winners against Lorenzo Musetti—and stopped to admire a few of them on the big screen—en route to the quarterfinals at Roland Garros.

ByStephanie Livaudais

Published Jun 04, 2023

PRESS CONFERENCE: C. Alcaraz; Roland Garros 4R Win
Carlos Alcaraz speaks with the media after his 2023 Roland Garros fourth round win.

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Top seed Carlos Alcaraz raced past Lorenzo Musetti on Sunday, booking a spot into the Roland Garros quarterfinals for the second year in a row.

The 20-year-old was on song during their fourth-round clash, winning 77 percent of points behind his strong first serve and breaking Musetti seven times in three sets to seal a 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 victory in just over two hours.

Already the pre-tournament favorite, Alcaraz gained an ominous confidence boost as he extended his Grand Slam winning streak to 11 matches—dating back to his winning run at the 2022 US Open.

“I think this was my best match in the tournament so far,” Alcaraz told press afterwards. “I think I played a good level.”

Alcaraz improved to 34-3 on the season and 24-2 on clay after a 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 victory over Lorenzo Musetti in the fourth round.

Alcaraz improved to 34-3 on the season and 24-2 on clay after a 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 victory over Lorenzo Musetti in the fourth round.

© GETTY IMAGES

In fact, Alcaraz fired 42 winners in the match—some of them so improbable that even the Spaniard himself apparently needed to see them again to believe them:

Q. Do you ever hit a shot during a match and think I want to see what that looked like and watch the video after?

CARLOS ALCARAZ: Yeah. (laughing) A lot of times!

Some big shots I want to watch again [on] the screen during the match. (smiling)

Who can blame him? Alcaraz has hardly put a foot wrong throughout his serene progress at Roland Garros, where he seeks his second Grand Slam trophy. He has only dropped one set all fortnight long—against Taro Daniel in the second round—made quick work of his two seeded opponents, taking down No. 26 seed Denis Shapovalov 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 and breezing past No. 17 Musetti.

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He took a major leap forward on Sunday, improving to 34-3 on the season and 24-2 on clay, and reaching the last eight to equal his best Grand Slam result outside of the US Open.

But the biggest test is still to come, as Alcaraz has booked a mouthwatering clash with 2021 Roland finalist and No. 5 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, who also reached the Australian Open final this year.

“We have played great matches. I won every match that we have played,” Alcaraz told press. “But it doesn't mean that I'm going to win every match that we are gonna play.

“I have to be really focused. He's a really tough opponent. But of course his game is a good game from my side."