For three hours and 19 minutes on Sunday, Carlos Alcaraz and Ben Shelton battled inside Court Philippe Chatrier with a trip to the Roland Garros quarterfinals on the line.
The two brought plenty of electric shot-making and multiple momentum shifts throughout the intriguing showdown—one that saw the Spaniard stave off three set points in a crucial opening tiebreak.
The No. 2 seed would eventually go on to serve out the 7-6 (8), 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 victory to reach the last eight in Paris for the fourth consecutive year.
When the two approached the net, their smiling faces lit up the venue. To those watching or documenting a warm embrace that followed, it was clear Alcaraz and Shelton share a mutual respect.
“Apart from being a great player, he’s also a great person,” Alcaraz explained during the Spanish portion of his post-match press conference.
“We get along super well. Of course on the court there are no friends—we both want to win and we’ll both do our best to defeat the other. But it’s also important to know how to accept a defeat, even though it hurts.”