Alcaraz shows sportsmanship; Paul on best U.S. run since Agassi - ESPN

Carlos Alcaraz called on himself for breaking the rules at the French Open and conceded a point to Ben Shelton on Sunday during the defending champion's 7-6 (8), 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 victory in the fourth round.

Also on Sunday, No. 12 Tommy Paul beat No. 25 Alexei Popyrin 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 to become the first American man in the quarterfinals at Roland Garros since Andre Agassi in 2003. Paul, 28, was coming off consecutive five-setters but breezed to this victory to set up a matchup with Alcaraz.

Early in the second set, Shelton whipped a passing shot well out of Alcaraz's reach up at the net. So Alcaraz flung his racket, and as his equipment flipped through the air, its strings somehow not only made contact with the ball but also sent it back over the net and onto the other side of the court.

Initially, the second-seeded Alcaraz was awarded the point. But he immediately went over to the chair umpire to admit that he wasn't holding his racket when it touched the ball. That's not allowed, so the point went to the 13th-seeded Shelton.

When the official informed the Court Philippe-Chatrier crowd what had happened, Alcaraz was given a round of applause.

This all happened at what could have been a critical moment, because instead of leading 40-30 on his serve, Alcaraz was now down 30-40, giving Shelton his first break point of the match. But Alcaraz saved that one — and five others in that 20-point game — along the way to taking a two-set lead in an entertaining matchup between a pair of 22-year-olds who hit the ball hard.

«Today I fought against myself, in my mind,» Alcaraz said. «I tried to calm myself as I was mad, angry and talking not really good things. I'm really happy not to let those thoughts play against me. I tried to calm