Carlos Alcaraz cruises into French Open quarter-finals

Carlos Alcaraz fired a warning to the rest of French Open field that he is getting better and better.

The Spanish third seed dropped only seven games as he dispatched Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-3 6-3 6-1 on Court Philippe Chatrier to reach the quarter-finals.

Alcaraz, looking for a first French Open title, arrived at Roland Garros with a lingering forearm injury and having not played a match in three weeks.

But this is the man who pitched up at Queen’s Club last year having only ever played six matches on grass, and ended up winning Wimbledon.

“The most important thing is to believe in myself,” he said. “It doesn’t matter that I don’t have too many matches on my back and that I didn’t come with a lot of rhythm.

“After every practice and every match I’m getting better and better and that was easy for me. On Philippe Chatrier it is easy for me to play and it is better to get to 100 per cent.”

Alcaraz will face Greek ninth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in the last eight.

Tsitsipas fell a set behind and faced three set points in the second against Matteo Arnaldi.

But as the Italian began to run out of steam, Tsitsipas stepped on the gas and wrapped up a 3-6 7-6 (4) 6-2 6-2 victory.

In the night session, second seed Jannik Sinner came from a set down to end the thrilling run of Corentin Moutet and the crowd’s hopes of a first French men’s singles champion since Yannick Noah in 1983.

The Italian was left in a spin in the first set as Moutet’s array of disguised drop shots, fizzing forehands and the occasional underarm serve saw him race into a 5-0 lead.

But Sinner, who could end the tournament as world number one, eventually cracked the code and won 2-6 6-3 6-2 6-1.

Moutet’s change of fortunes was summed up in the fourth set when he was foot-faulted on another underarm serve.

Sinner said: “It was very tough for me, he played very well first set and I had to adjust a little bit. He’s had an amazing run at Roland Garros.

“He plays different to most of the other players and he’s a lefty, you don’t play so many left-handed opponents. I’m happy to be in the next round.”

Sinner will face Grigor Dimitrov, who reached his first Roland Garros quarter-final at the age of 33.

The Bulgarian, whose late-career renaissance has lifted him back into the top 10, beat Polish eighth seed Hubert Hurkacz  7-6 (5) 6-4 7-6 (3).