Carlos Alcaraz praised for showing 'insane sportsmanship' during his French Open match against Ben Shelton

Carlos Alcaraz has secured a spot in the quarter-finals of the French Open, having just knocked out Ben Shelton.

Alcaraz praised Shelton ahead of their match, in which the second seed took on the 13th seed on Court Philippe-Chatrier.

And it was French Open defending champion Alcaraz who came out on top, battling past Shelton 7-6(10-8), 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.

The duo played out a thriller for three hours and 19 minutes, with Alcaraz now taking on Tommy Paul in the quarter-finals.

But the ATP number two has been attracting huge praise for a moment of sportsmanship during his meeting with Shelton.

Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images

Carlos Alcaraz praised during French Open win against Ben Shelton

He won a point early in the second set, but immediately informed the umpire that he did not have his racket in his hand when contact was made with the ball.

The point was instead given to Shelton, with one impressed fan writing of Alcaraz on X: “Alcaraz insane sportsmanship love to see it.”

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Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images

A second commented: “Alcaraz is such a good sportsman. Reason he is loved by everyone,” with a third saying: “Alcaraz with fairplay wow.”

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A fourth noted: “Carlitos is in my AAA class, Admire (for his greatness), Appreciate (what he has done and continues to do for tennis), and Adore (for being such a wonderful person & athlete).

Others commented: “Class act from Alcaraz,” “That’s pure class and sportsmanship,” and “Sportsmanship is just as important as skill. Carlitos setting the tone with integrity makes the game richer.”

Tim Henman and Rennae Stubbs praise Carlos Alcaraz against Ben Shelton

The praise for Alcaraz certainly didn’t end there, with former professionals Rennae Stubbs and Tim Henman joining in.

An impressed Stubbs wrote on X: “This guy! Immediately calling that foul shot on himself to give Ben break point.”

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And Henman said on TNT Sports: “This is a nice touch. First and foremost when you see that you think he has lunged for the backhand volley and he has made it and it’s 30-30 in the first game of the second set.

“But Alcaraz immediately says to the umpire I have thrown my racket. You have to be in control and in contact with your racket when you hit a shot.

“When the ball makes contact with his racket, it is not in his hand. And he immediately says no, that’s not allowed. That is class.”

It really was a moment of class from the 22-year-old, who has once again shown maturity beyond his years.

Supporters at Court Philippe-Chatrier undoubtedly appreciated the gesture, as did a shocked Shelton, with Alcaraz setting an example for tennis and indeed sport in general.

The youngster fully deserves all the praise he is getting, with such sportsmanship becoming increasingly rare.

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