Carlos Alcaraz claimed his 100th tour-level win on clay after overcoming Ben Shelton in four sets to reach the French Open quarter-final.

The reigning champion came out on top in the dynamic match, digging deep to earn a 7-6 (10-8) 6-3 4-6 6-4 victory on Sunday.

There was little to split the pair in the opening set, with only one unconverted break point for Alcaraz as they went to a tie-break.

Shelton looked to have found his edge, but the Spaniard successfully held off three set points before converting on the second time of asking himself.

Alcaraz then staved off six break points in the opening game of the second set to hold serve, and just when it looked like they could be heading to another tie-break, he got the vital break late on before serving to love to put himself within touching distance of the last eight.

They exchanged breaks early in the third set, with Shelton unable to hold his advantage. However, after failing to convert a break point, Shelton did not miss his chance in the next game to pull one back.

A three-game winning streak early in the fourth set put the world number two back in control, and though he failed to convert his first match point with another break, he served out the match.

Quarter-final spot secured

Carlitos defeats Shelton 7-6(8) 6-3 4-6 6-4 to advance @rolandgarros #rolandgarros #alcaraz pic.twitter.com/zI4zeCxEsS

— ATP Tour (@atptour) June 1, 2025

"Honestly, today I fought against myself in the mind," Alcaraz said. "I just tried to calm myself - in some moments I was mad.

"I was angry with myself, talking not good things. I'm happy that I didn't let that thought play against me.

"I tried to calm myself and tried to keep going."

He will now face another American in Tommy Paul in the quarter-finals, after the 12th seed beat Alexei Popyrin 6-3 6-3 6-3 earlier on Sunday. 

Data Debrief: 100 not out for Alcaraz

Alcaraz has claimed his 100th ATP-level win on clay in 119 matches – among players who began their career in the Open Era, only Rafael Nadal (112) achieved 100 wins in fewer matches on the surface.

He (22 years and 20 days) is also now the third-youngest player in the Open Era to reach the men's singles quarter-final in four consecutive years at Roland-Garros, after Mats Wilander and Nadal.

This was also Alcaraz's 75th career win over a top-20 opponent. Since the rankings were first published in 1973, only Jimmy Connors (91) achieved that milestone in fewer matches than the 22-year-old (109).