By Geoffrey Latayan
Reigning champions Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek reached the French Open quarter-finals on Sunday after both were tested in fourth-round duels.
Spanish second seed Alcaraz brought down US bet Ben Shelton in four sets 7-6 (10/8), 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 and Swiatek resumed her quest for a fourth-straight Roland Garros title by coming back from a set down to beat Elena Rybakina 1-6, 6-3, 7-5.
Lorenzo Musetti, Frances Tiafoe, and Tommy Paul also advanced to the last eight of the men’s singles, while Elina Svitolina, Zheng Qinwen, and world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka barged into the next round of the women’s event.
Alcaraz saves three set points in first-set tiebreak
Alcaraz needed all of his clay-court expertise to battle through a testy first-set tiebreak against Shelton.
The four-time Grand Slam champion saved three set points in the tiebreak to win the opening set and then followed it up with a convincing, second-set victory.
However, Shelton extended the match by winning the third set before Alcaraz surged past the American in the fourth to clinch a ticket to the quarter-finals.
Paul, meanwhile, sailed past Australian Alexei Popyrin 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 and arranged a meeting with Alcaraz for a shot at the semi-finals.
Elsewhere, Musetti made it to the last eight after outclassing Holger Rune in four sets 7-5, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.
The Italian, who made it to at least the semi-finals of clay-court Masters events in Monte Carlo, Madrid, and Rome, will try to reach another semi-final when he faces American Tiafoe, who outplayed unseeded German campaigner Daniel Altmaier 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (7/4).
The fourth round continues on Monday with top seed Jannik Sinner taking on No.17 Andrey Rublev; third seed Alexander Zverev meeting Tallon Griekspoor; fifth-seeded Jack Draper facing Alexander Bublik; and 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic battling unseeded British netter Cameron Norrie.
READ MORE: Liverpool transfer news: Jeremie Frimpong signs as TAA seals early Real Madrid deal
Swiatek keeps unbeaten streak alive
On the women’s side, Swiatek resumed her quest for a fourth-straight French Open title with a come-from-behind triumph over Rybakina.
The Polish star lost the first set and was in serious trouble in the second, falling behind 2-0.
However, she won six of the next seven games to force a decider, which she powered through to register a 25th-straight win at the French Open.
The fifth seed was one game from defeat when trailing 5-4 in the deciding set, but she managed to end Rybakina’s resistance and then held her nerve to serve out the match.
Swiatek will next meet Elina Svitolina for a place in the semi-finals.
Svitolina outplayed Jasmine Paolini 4-6, 7-6 (8/6), 6-1.
The Ukrainian saved three match points against the fourth-seeded Italian on Court Philippe Chatrier and is now looking to make her first Roland Garros semi-final.
Meanwhile, Sabalenka needed eight match points to wrap up a 7-5, 6-3 win over American Amanda Anisimova.
The three-time Grand Slam champion reached her 10th successive major quarter-final, where she will face Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen.
The eighth-seeded Zheng gained a ticket to the last eight with a hard-fought three-set victory over 19th-seeded Russian Liudmila Samsonova 7-6 (7/5), 1-6, 6-3 on Court Suzanne Lenglen.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: EJ Obiena completes pole vault three-peat at Asian Championships
Adam Peaker 
Hyacinth Estrada 
Ian Trinidad