Carlos Alcaraz was at his ruthless best last night, as he overcame Tommy Paul in straight sets on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
It was perhaps his best performance yet at the US Open, as he continues to astound with just how quickly he has returned to his best.
He should, realistically, have been rusty and at massive risk of an early exit.
Instead, he has rolled through his opening four matches with minimal fuss, dropping just one set, and securing his spot in the quarter-finals.
Tommy Paul, speaking at his press conference afterwards, was unsurprisingly impressed with Carlos Alcaraz. He conceded that, despite his best efforts, he was nowhere near his level.
Tommy Paul claims he was totally outplayed by Carlos Alcaraz
The American star began with an assessment of the Spaniard’s level, just after Alcaraz had said whether he feels like he’s already back to his best.
Paul admitted: “He was playing very fast, hitting his forehand well. It felt like he just outplayed me. He was playing on a different level than me. I think there are a lot of things I could have done better, but I could have done a lot of things better and still lost that match.
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“I thought he played pretty well! He still is hitting his forehand hard, and off the court. He is maybe mixing things up on return a little bit more, and maybe I saw going into the match that his first serve speed had maybe dropped a little bit from before he took time off, but I thought he made up for it with his first ball after a serve.
“I felt like every time I returned, and granted I don’t think I returned that well off the second serve, but I feel like he did a great job with the first ball and putting me on the run immediately.”
Then, recalling earlier in Alcaraz’s career, when he felt a little more vulnerable, Paul noted an outstanding change: “Earlier on, when he was early in his career, you were able to slice backhands cross and he would just hit backhands.
“Now if you hit a slice backhand cross, he is moving over and hitting a forehand.
“Something going into the match that we were talking about was trying not to slice, because it’s almost not effective if you don’t absolutely knife that thing cross. He is going to find a forehand and put you on the run. I think that’s something that’s different.
“Also, his return and second serve have improved a ton over the last couple of years. He mixes his second serve up a lot, makes it a lot tougher for you to attack his second serve. He has improved most of his game, honestly.”
Carlos Alcaraz’s new head-to-head record against Tommy Paul
Before the match, Paul remarked on how it felt like he had played Alcaraz more than any other top player over the last few years, and their head-to-head does support that.
After all, last night’s clash means that these two have now faced one another in all four Grand Slams, with the Spaniard winning all of those encounters.
How far do you think Carlos Alcaraz will go at the US Open after four months out injured? 🤕
He beat Paul in the Australian Open Round of 16 earlier this year en route to his maiden title in Melbourne, and has managed the same feat at the same stage now in New York.
Last year it was the Roland Garros quarter-finals, and in 2024 it was Wimbledon where Alcaraz reigned supreme. Interestingly, the other three times when he has beaten the American at a major, he’s gone on to lift the title.
He now leads the head-to-head with seven wins and just two losses, sustained in 2023 and 2022, respectively.
