French Open 2023 Results: Instant Reactions to Tuesday's Winners and Losers
Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic set up one of the most anticipated French Open semifinals in recent memory with quarterfinal victories on Tuesday.
Alcaraz was far and away the best male singles player on the Roland Garros clay, as he defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets.
Djokovic had a bit of a tougher time on court, as he needed four sets to get past Karen Khachanov to set up his first Grand Slam battle with Alcaraz.
The big story to emerge from the two women's quarterfinals on Tuesday was Aryna Sabalenka's continued pursuit of the No. 1 world ranking.
The No. 2 seed can claim the top spot in the world rankings if she outperforms Iga Swiatek for the rest of the tournament.
Sabalenka will face Karolina Muchova in the semifinals. Muchova advanced to her second Grand Slam semifinal with a straight-set victory that mirrored Sabalenka's on-court dominance on Tuesday.
The rest of the men's and women's semifinal fields will be confirmed by Wednesday's four quarterfinal matches.
Tuesday Results
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Men's Singles
No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz def. No. 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas, 6-2, 6-1, 7-6 (5)
No. 3 Novak Djokovic def. No. 11 Karen Khachanov, 4-6, 7-6 (0), 6-2, 6-4
Women's Singles
No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka def. Elina Svitolina, 6-4, 6-4
Karolina Muchova def. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, 7-5, 6-2
Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic Set Up Semifinal Showdown
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The newest superstar in men's tennis will face a 22-time Grand Slam winner for a spot in Sunday's French Open final.
The Alcaraz-Djokovic semifinal possesses everything you could ask for in terms of hype for a big-time tennis match.
Alcaraz looked in control of his match with Tsitsipas for most of the three sets. He displayed some impressive resilience in the third set to hold off a late charge from the Greek.
Alcaraz comes into his semifinal showdown with Djokovic with one lost set in five matches over the last week-and-a-half.
The No. 1 seed has not dropped a set in his last three matches against ranked foes. He won seven of the nine sets in those matches by three games or more.
Alcaraz has the form in hand to beat Djokovic and deny the Serbian of his third French Open title.
Djokovic needed an extra set to get into the semifinals on Tuesday. It was his first set defeat of this tournament, but it was not the first time he was tested.
Djokovic was pushed into four tiebreaks in the first four rounds, and Khachanov played him into another one in the second set on Tuesday.
The Paris clay has never been Djokovic's favored major surface. He won the majority of his major titles on the Australian and U.S. Open hard courts and the Wimbledon grass.
However, Djokovic does have the edge in experience against Alcaraz, which could be a huge factor in the semifinals. Alcaraz should enter the match as the favorite to win because of his form in Paris, and that will shift all of the pressure on the Spaniard to advance to the final.
Aryna Sabalenka Remains Perfect at Majors in 2023
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Sabalenka produced her 12th win in 12 major matches on Tuesday.
The 2023 Australian Open champion picked up her fifth consecutive straight-set victory on the Paris clay over Elina Svitolina.
While Sabalenka made her semifinal path look easy, the string of opponents have been difficult for the No. 2 seed.
Svitolina and Sloane Stephens, who were Sabalenka's last two foes, have 16 Grand Slam quarterfinal appearances between them.
Sabalenka did not have the cleanest day on court, as she committed 37 unforced errors, but she did come up with three service breaks that made the difference against Svitolina.
The win kept the No. 2 seed in the running for her second major title of 2023, and for the No. 1 world ranking. Sabalenka must advance further than Swiatek, or beat her in the final to claim the top position.
Karolína Muchová will be Sabalenka's final opponent before a potential championship match. Muchová took down 2021 French Open finalist Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in straight sets.
The 26-year-old Czech player has not played a top-10 seed on the Paris clay since she upset Maria Sakkari, the No. 8 seed, in the first round.
Sabalenka owns a 1-0 career head-to-head record over Muchova. Sabalenka won the lone meeting in China in 2019 in straight sets.
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