Tsitsipas eager to rematch Alcaraz

*Alcaraz - Tsitsipas: 1:15 a.m. Wednesday, June 7, Hanoi time.

"This is the showdown everyone's been waiting for," Tsitsipas said of the quarter-finals against world number one Alcaraz. "I need to play the best tennis. Alcaraz doesn't give you a lot of playing space, he's very strong in rally series. He's the biggest challenge for all players right now. Matches like this will push us to be better."

Tsitsipas has lost all four of his previous encounters with Alcaraz, including the Barcelona Open final in April. After that match, the Greek player shared the feeling of helplessness when the opponent hit too hard. Tsitsipas also admits there is a need to improve on the one-handed backhand, which is most exploited by opponents in encounters.

Tsitsipas has grounds for confidence ahead of the fifth encounter. After a rough start to Jiri Vesely, the Greek player showed his high form with three consecutive wins at Roland Garros without losing a set. Paris is also a good land for Tsitsipas, when this is the place where he first reached the Grand Slam final in 2021 (losing to Novak Djokovic). With Alcaraz, he fell at this stage last year, losing to Alexander Zverev in four sets in the quarterfinals.

"I've won matches against Tsitsipas before, but that doesn't mean I'll win the next one," Alcaraz cautioned. "I need to concentrate as much as possible, although I have to say his ball suits me."

In the match taking place in tonight's match in Paris time, Tsitsipas' ability to defend against Alcaraz will be key. In this season's wins, 24% of Alcaraz's hits in rallies have been in attack, compared to 18% in losses. As for Tsitsipas, he has averaged 35% of the points defensively, in wins this season.

"Mentally, Tsitsipas is better prepared than the Barcelona game," former tennis player Alex Corretja told Eurosport. "He's calmer, but he's also more aggressive on the pitch. His forehands are much more effective. This is the big league, he needs to believe he can beat anyone. But obviously Alcaraz is the most difficult opponent that Tsitsipas has to face right now."

Corretja also believes that with the level of a Roland Garros finalist, Tsitsipas will make it difficult for Alcaraz, something Lorenzo Musetti failed to do in the fourth round.

The first men's singles quarterfinal match took place between Novak Djokovic and Karen Khachanov, at about 8pm today, Hanoi time. While Djokovic shared that he is in the best physical and mental state since the 2023 Australian Open, Khachanov is aiming for a third consecutive Grand Slam semi-final. To do that, the Russian tennis player had to break the circuit for seven consecutive defeats against the Serbian senior.

At this year's tournament, Djokovic has not lost a set. Khachanov struggled harder, spending five sets against Constant Lestienne in the first round, four sets against Thanasi Kokkinakis and Lorenzo Sonego in the last rounds.