Carlos Alcaraz channeled his inner champion with a ruthless quarterfinal rout at Roland Garros on Tuesday, dismantling Tommy Paul 6-0, 6-1, 6-4 in just 94 minutes, and credited rival Jannik Sinner as part of the spark behind his inspired performance.
The defending French Open champion overwhelmed the former world No. 9 under the lights on Court Philippe Chatrier to book a semifinal showdown with Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti.
Musetti, the No. 8 seed, advanced earlier in the day by defeating American Frances Tiafoe in four sets.
Friday’s clash will mark their third meeting on clay this season, with Alcaraz winning both previous encounters, including the Monte Carlo final and the Rome semifinal on his way to those titles.
“I mean, he’s playing great,” said Alcaraz of the Italian. “It’s going to be a beautiful battle, a beautiful match. I think we’re both playing great tennis ... it’s going to be great for the people to watch as well.”
The 22-year-old's blistering performance under the lights on center court in Paris will have many backing him to make it three-for-three against Musetti as he seeks to defend his title.
“It was like I could close my eyes and everything went in. My feeling today was amazing,” Alcaraz said of his performance Tuesday. “It was one of those matches where everything went in. I’m just pleased with everything.”
‘Sorry for that’
Alcaraz fired 40 winners on his way to victory over Paul, committing just 22 unforced errors, as he emphatically put inconsistent displays in the previous rounds behind him.
The two-time Grand Slam champion has received some criticism for dropping sets and prolonging his time on court earlier at Roland Garros.
That stands in stark contrast to top-seeded Sinner – a potential final opponent – who has minimized his court time with relentless straight-set wins through his first four matches.
“He (Sinner) inspired me in some ways just to give my 100% every match. I see how important it is to play at such a great level the whole match, just to have more time to recover after,” Alcaraz said.
“This kind of match is never easy,” he added. “I’ve played Tommy many times, and he’s beaten me twice.”
Despite that previous success, it took the 28-year-old American eight games to get on the scoreboard as Alcaraz raced out of the blocks, mixing powerful groundstrokes with perfectly weighted drop shots and lobs.
Paul showed determined resistance in the third set, despite carrying an injury, but couldn’t deny Alcaraz, who broke in the ninth game before holding to love for victory.
“I know you wanted to watch more tennis,” an apologetic Alcaraz told the crowd on center court. “I have to say sorry for that. But I had to do my work.”
Paul has now lost his last four meetings with Alcaraz, including at the same venue last year in the quarterfinals of the Olympic Games.
“I think we’ve seen Sinner really destroy people lately,” Paul told reporters after the match. “I guess today was Carlos’ turn. I think both of them are playing at an extremely, extremely high level right now.”
