Carlos Alcaraz just took down No. 20 Tommy Paul in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4, in front of a packed Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd. This dude is absolutely on a mission at the U.S. Open right now, driving closer to a legacy that could match Roger Federer’s crazy five-in-a-row run from 2004-08. He’s the defending champ and No. 2 seed, and it’s clear he’s gunning to be the first repeat winner since Federer.
Tommy Paul Couldn’t Catch a Break
Paul didn’t know what hit him. Seriously, Alcaraz was laying down blazing forehand winners, ripping backhand winners down the line, and crushing serves that averaged close to 120 mph. He’s now 7-2 against Paul, which tells you everything you need to know about this rivalry. In the first set, Paul was serving at 4-5 and quickly went down 0-40. He saved one set point, but then hit an inside-out forehand wide, and that was it for the set. Alcaraz got a quick 2-0 break in the second set and just cruised, racking up 12 winners to only 11 unforced errors. And that two-handed backhand winner down the line in the sixth game? It totally awed the crowd. John McEnroe even asked on air, “Was this an easy shot? No, not even for Carlos Alcaraz. Somehow he pulled it off.” Alcaraz broke Paul early in the third, for a 2-1 lead. Serving for the match at 5-4, he pulled out a trusty forehand drop shot mid-point, which Paul returned, only for Alcaraz to hit another winner. Paul had a break point, but slammed a backhand into the net. Facing a second break point, Alcaraz hit a swinging forehand volley winner. Then he cracked a wicked crosscourt forehand winner to get to match point, closing it out with a service winner on the second point. Paul came into this hoping for his first U.S. Open quarterfinal, after making it in every other major, but he’s stuck in the fourth round again. Ouch.
The Numbers Are Wild: Six Breaks, But Still the Favorite
You gotta remember, Alcaraz missed 4 1/2 months on tour with a right wrist injury. Now, he’s just three victories away from making history. Even with that injury layoff, Andy Roddick, the last American man to win a major here back in 2003, is calling Alcaraz the favorite. Roddick said, “If you had to choose one person and say they’re the favorite, I’ll take them over anyone, I think it’s obviously Carlos going into the second week.” But here’s the kicker, the detail that makes you wonder: Roddick also pointed out that Alcaraz is “still finding his range on his forehand” and has “gotten broken more.” He’s been broken six or seven times already in this tournament. Last year, he was broken only three times the *entire* tournament. Roddick said, “So as great as he’s been, I still think there’s room” for improvement. That’s the crazy part: he’s showing some vulnerability, yet he’s still smashing everyone.
Alcaraz will face the winner between No. 8 Ben Shelton and Stefanos Tsitsipas in the quarterfinals on Tuesday. Looking ahead, he could potentially meet No. 7 Daniil Medvedev, a former U.S. Open champion, or No. 11 Frances Tiafoe in the semis. And if he gets to the final, top seed and French Open champion Alexander Zverev could be waiting. The path isn’t easy, but with him playing like this, even with a few more breaks than usual, it’s going to be a wild ride.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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