Carlos Alcaraz secured his place in the French Open quarter-finals following a thrilling four-set victory over American star Ben Shelton. The defending champion overcame Shelton with a scoreline of 7-6 (10-8), 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.

Speaking after the match, Alcaraz reflected on the high-intensity contest:

“I tried to calm myself in those moments when I was down and tried to get going,” he said. “We brought the level to the top, saw some really good tennis.

“We stayed there in the whole match. For me, it’s great having Ben around—great energy.

“I think we played really great tennis, really complete. He’s a really powerful player; he can make any shot.

“I think we both have huge respect for each other.”

Alcaraz will now face Tommy Paul in the quarter-finals. Paul booked his place in the last eight after a straight-sets win over Alexei Popyrin, 6-3, 6-3, 6-3.