"Missed this feeling" – Carlos Alcaraz on "forgetting" about his injury woes amid "intense" display against Sebastian Korda in French Open 3R

Carlos Alcaraz said that he was happy with his performance against Sebastian Korda in the third round of the French Open. The Spaniard beat the American in straight sets to reach the fourth round of the clay-court Major.

Alcaraz produced a gritty effort against 27th seed Korda, who fought to save eight of the 12 break points on his serve. However, the Spaniard proved to be too good for the American, as he hit a staggering 38 winners and won 119 of the 214 points played for during the match.

The match stretched to two hours and 42 minutes at Court Philippe Chatrier, with the scoreline reading 6-4, 7-6(5), 6-3 in the 21-year-old's favor. With the win, he took a 4-1 lead over Korda in the head-to-head.

Alcaraz, who struggled with his right forearm during the clay-court season,, was thoroughly impressed with his performance.

"I'm very happy with the way I played. I didn't have any ups and downs of concentration and there was a moment when I completely forgot about the discomfort in my arm and started hitting with my right hand totally normal," the two-time Grand Slam champion said during his post-match press conference.

Alcaraz also said that two shots during the match made him realize how much he missed feeling no discomfort in his arm.

"I put a lot of intensity into my tennis today and during the tiebreak, I hit two drives that made me realize how much I missed this feeling. In addition, my forearm continues to improve."

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Carlos Alcaraz gears up to reach French Open quarterfinals for third year in a row

Carlos Alcaraz hits a forehand at the 2024 French Open. Photo: Getty

Carlos Alcaraz looks in good form at the moment and is just one win away from reaching the quarterfinals of the French Open for the third year in a row.

The Spaniard will have to wait for Ben Shelton and Felix Auger-Aliassime to finish their third-round business at the 2024 French Open to find out who his fourth-round opponent will be.

The match between Shelton and Auger-Aliassime began on Friday, May 31, but was suspended before the completion of the first set due to rain. The Canadian notably leads the proceedings 5-4 on serve.

Carlos Alcaraz notably has more experience facing Auger-Aliassime as he has played against Shelton only once thus far. He met the American in the Round of 32 at the Canadian Open in 2023 and registered a 6-3, 7-6(3) win.

Alcaraz and Auger-Aliassime, on the other hand, have been part of five duels thus far with the Canadian holding a 3-2 lead in the head-to-head.