Carlos Alcaraz was in top form at Roland Garros in the early morning of June 4, destroying American player Tommy Paul with an overwhelming score of 6-0, 6-1, 6-4 to reach the semi-finals in Paris for the third consecutive year.
The No. 2 seed’s performance nearly set a new personal record for the fewest games lost at a Grand Slam. By the end of the second set, Alcaraz had dropped just one game, reminiscent of his 6-0, 6-1, 6-3 win over JJ Wolf in the first round of last year’s clay tournament, where he dropped just four games.
Alcaraz showed excellent form in the quarter-final match against Paul (Photo: Getty).
Although he could not break that record, the 22-year-old Spaniard still put in an impressive performance, full of speed and efficiency on Court Philippe Chatrier.
"I could close my eyes and everything happened. My feeling today was amazing. I tried to hit every shot with 100% power, not thinking about anything else, just focusing on hitting the ball. Today was one of those matches where everything happened that way," Alcaraz shared after the match.
Alcaraz timed his shots perfectly from both sides, cutting through Paul’s defense with deep, powerful spin. While Paul has troubled Alcaraz in the past, winning in Montreal in 2022 and Miami in 2023, the 28-year-old could not find any footing under Alcaraz’s pressure under the Parisian night sky.
The No. 2 seed hit 39 winners and committed 22 unforced errors to take the head-to-head record to 5-2. He also beat Paul en route to winning the silver medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
"We are in the quarter-finals at a Grand Slam at Roland Garros and this type of match is never easy. I have played Tommy many times and every match was very difficult. He won against me twice. That helped me to focus on my game at the beginning, trying not to get knocked down or let him into the game. I tried to focus throughout the whole match ," Alcaraz added.
Alcaraz is aiming for a second consecutive title at Roland Garros (Photo: Getty).
With a victory that lasted 1 hour and 34 minutes, Alcaraz became the first champion to reach next year's semi-finals since Rafael Nadal in 2021. The 22-year-old will be aiming for a fifth Grand Slam final when he faces Lorenzo Musetti on Friday (6/6).
Alcaraz now has a 32-2 record on clay since last May, which included his first Roland Garros title. The ATP No. 2 has also won ATP Masters 1000 titles on clay.
For Paul, this is his first Roland Garros quarter-final, becoming the first American man, along with Frances Tiafoe, to reach the last eight in Paris since Andre Agassi in 2003. The 28-year-old has moved up four places to No. 8 in the ATP live rankings and is aiming for a career-best finish next Monday.
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/alcaraz-thang-hoa-ruc-ro-tien-vao-ban-ket-roland-garros-20250604075329320.htm
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