After a one-sided first set, the pupil of Juan-Carlos Ferrero, world No.6 at 19 after a hair-raising spring, dropped the next two and had to erase a match point at the end of the fourth set, at 5 -4 on Ramos' serve.
He did not spare himself a few more cold sweats in the decisive set, when his opponent escaped 3 games to 0, or broke to equalize at 4-4.
Long unrecognizable compared to the flamboyant player who conquered Miami, Barcelona and Madrid since the end of March, Alcaraz let himself be locked into Ramos' game, in lengthy exchanges, and multiplied the unforced errors, in particular in reverse.
He committed 74 in total, as many as winning points.
But the young Murcian was never discouraged and proved he had heart and character.
As a symbol, it was on an impossible backhand passing at the end of the race that he revived in the fifth set by breaking Ramos.
And at the cost of a crazy defense he obtained the decisive break at 4 everywhere.
For a long time very wise, as if drowsy, the public of the Simonne-Mathieu court, in the hollow of the greenhouses of Auteuil, woke up when the match became unbreathable at the end of the fourth round.
And was downright carried away in the fifth.
Alcaraz thus stretches its series to twelve matches won in a row.
In the third round, the young prodigy will face either the American Sebastian Korda or Richard Gasquet.
© 2022 AFP