Teenage sensation Carlos Alcaraz admitted there “is a little bit of pressure on me” after saving a match point and coming back from 3-0 down in the final set to defeat Spanish compatriot Albert Ramos-Vinolas and make the French Open third round on Wednesday.
The 19-year-old sixth seed, widely tipped to break the Grand Slam stranglehold of Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, triumphed 6-1, 6-7 (7/9), 5-7, 7-6 (7/2), 6-4 in a four-hour 34-minute epic.
It was the longest match of his career.
Alcaraz, bidding to become only the eighth teenager to win a Grand Slam men’s title, hit a matching 74 winners and 74 unforced errors on Court Simonne-Mathieu.
“It’s great that the people talk about you, think that I’m going to be No. 1 in the world, but of course it’s a little bit of pressure on me,” said Alcaraz.