Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz battled through a tough second-round test against Hungarian Fábián Marozsán at the 2025 French Open.
Carlos Alcaraz, who is looking to win his second Roland Garros title and a fifth Grand Slam title in total, eventually defeated the Hungarian 6-1 4-6 6-1 6-2.
The Spanish number one will be one of the hot favourites to reclaim his title following the second-round victory on Wednesday afternoon.
During the match, he produced a simply magical shot that stunned the French Open crowd.
Carlos Alcaraz shows off his bag of tricks with round-the-post winner
During the hotly contested affair, Marozsán played an excellent crosscourt angle to Alcaraz’s backhand.
However, instead of using his conventional two-handed backhand to hit a shot over the net, Alcaraz remarkably reverted to a one-handed backhand, clipping the ball around the net post for a winner.
The world number two expressed his delight at playing on Philippe Chatrier’s court, despite ‘suffering.’
Speaking on court after his victory, he said: “Sometimes it is difficult to have fun on the court when you’re suffering out there. It depends on the opponent as well.
“Most of the time I’m not trying to think about anything else but enjoying playing and enjoying being on this court. Philippe-Chatrier is a really beautiful court so I have to enjoy it, so once I step on court I’m not thinking about anything else.
“I just want to show good tennis. I want to make sure people are happy watching my match as well. That’s the way I enjoy playing tennis.”
Who will Carlos Alcaraz face next?
In the third round, Alcaraz will either face France’s Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard or Bosnia’s Damir Džumhur.
The Spaniard is certainly one of the favourites to scoop up the coveted award but will face stern competition from the likes of Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic.
Alcaraz knows his French Open winner on the women’s side – but who will prevail for the men? Only time will tell.