PARIS :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 reach 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 top seed ensured there would be no unwanted encore ending his bid for a fifth Grand Slam title.
Playing beneath the centre court roof on a soggy Parisian afternoon, Alcaraz rained blows on his 56th-ranked opponent to race ahead 4-0 and easily wrapped up 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.
