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Carlos Alcaraz vs Sebastian Korda: Roland Garros – third round

One of the top favorites to win the French Open, Carlos Alcaraz, will face Sebastian Korda in the third round at Roland Garros.

Carlos Alcaraz Profile

Carlos Alcaraz is third in the ATP rankings, and last season he was briefly the world No. 1. The Spaniard is 21-5 for the season and 7-3 on clay.

The 21-year-old is coming off a 6-3, 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 win over qualifier Jesper de Jong in the second round of the tournament. He started this year’s Roland Garros journey with a 6-1, 6-2, 6-1 win over lucky loser JJ Wolf in the opening round.

This year, Alcaraz won the title in Indian Wells, defeating Daniil Medvedev in the final. He reached the semifinals in Buenos Aires and the quarterfinals at the Australian Open, Miami, and Madrid.

This is the fifth appearance for Alcaraz at Roland Garros, and his best result was last year’s semifinal, where he lost to Novak Djokovic.

Sebastian Korda Profile

Sebastian Korda is 28th in the ATP rankings, five spots lower than his career high. The American is 15-12 for the season and 5-4 on clay.

He is coming off a 6-4, 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 win over Soon Woo Kwon in the second round of the tournament after beating Harold Mayot 6-2, 7-6, 6-4 in the opener.

Korda’s best result this season is the semifinal in Adelaide, the quarterfinal in Dubai, and the third round at the Australian Open.

This is the fifth appearance for Korda at Roland Garros, and his best result was the round of 16 in his debut in 2020.

Head-to-Head Alcaraz leads 3-1

• Alcaraz vs Korda 6-3, 6-4 (2023 ATP Queen’s Club, semifinal)
• Alcaraz vs Korda 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 (2022 French Open, third round)
• Korda vs Alcaraz 7-6, 6-7, 6-3 (2022 ATP Monte Carlo, second round)
• Alcaraz vs Korda 4-3, 4-2, 4-2 (2021 NextGen, final)

Prediction and Conclusion

Carlos Alcaraz had a slow start to the season, but it seems like his form is improving, and he is seen as the top favorite to win Roland Garros. The previous two matches were just a warmup for him, and the challenge in the third round will not be much bigger. Korda had a good draw in the previous two rounds and used the opportunity to make it this deep. These two players faced each other on the same stage as Roland Garros two years ago, when Alcaraz won 6-4, 6-4, 6-2. Given the quality and the current form of both players, the score will not be any different, so we go with Alcaraz winning the match in straight sets.