French Open 2025 results: Carlos Alcaraz beats Damir Dzumhur in four sets

Alcaraz’s form during his second-round win over Fabian Marozsan had been patchy and Friday’s first meeting at ATP Tour level against Dzumhur looked set to be a much smoother affair.

Having shrugged off two early break points, he reeled off five successive games to wrap up the opening set inside 30 minutes, with his opponent looking exasperated at times as he struggled to contain the man seen as the one to beat on the Paris clay this year.

The second set followed in much the same fashion, and while Dzumhur, 33, did have his chances with break points in the second and sixth games, he lacked the weapons to cause Alcaraz any concern.

A double fault sealed the two-set lead for the Spaniard, but then the errors started to creep into his own game in the third as Dzumhur found another gear on the other side of the net.

After a brief pause to receive treatment on a knee injury, the Bosnian – seeking to reach the fourth round of a Slam for the first time – finally got the break he had been fighting for.

Alcaraz wasted three immediate chances to break back at 4-3 down, and a further two as his opponent served out the set.

Dzumhur’s resurgence continued into the fourth as he broke the frustrated Spaniard at the first time of asking, and Alcaraz was forced to watch more break points of his own come and go unconverted.

But Dzumhur was only ever going to hold him off temporarily.

Alcaraz, starting to show glimpses of the clinical form on show in the opening two sets, won four successive games, and while he was broken back when serving for the match, he again broke Dzumhur to close the tie as the clock neared midnight in the French capital.