By Richard Pagliaro | @TennisNow | Thursday, August 1, 2024
"It was a tough and really intense match—I had to run a lot—and I’m really happy with the way I managed my nerves," Carlos Alcaraz said after saving a set point to top Tommy Paul 6-3, 7-6(7).
Photo credit: Carl Recine/Getty
Timely turnarounds powered Carlos Alcaraz to the Roland Garros title.
Today, Alcaraz staged a second-set revival to roar into the Paris Olympic semifinals.
More: Zheng Shocks Swiatek to Reach Olympic Gold-Medal Match
In a rematch of the Wimbledon quarterfinals, Alcaraz saved a set point defeating American Tommy Paul 6-3, 7-6(6) to reach his maiden Olympic semifinal.
It is Alcaraz’s 11th consecutive victory on Roland Garros’ red clay—he rallied to five-set wins over Jannik Sinner and Alexander Zverev to win the French Open in June—and comes a day after he and hero Rafael Nadal were bounced out of the Olympic doubles by American veterans Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram in an emotional match.
Two-time Wimbledon winner Alcaraz will play 13th-seeded Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime for a spot in the gold-medal match. Auger-Aliassime beat Norway's Casper Ruud 6-4, 6-7(8), 6-3.
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The 21-year-old Alcaraz is the youngest man to reach the Olympic tennis semifinals since a 21-year-old Novak Djokovic reached the final four at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. That year, Nadal won the Olympic singles gold medal.
The ninth-seeded Paul outplayed Alcaraz for stretches of the second set in building a 4-1 lead. Paul served for the set at 5-3, but was broke and later held set point at 7-6 in the tiebreaker, but a resilient Alcaraz refused to see his Olympic medal dreams dashed today.
“It’s a really tough match; I know Tommy Paul very well, he’s an amazing player, an electric player,” Alcaraz told Peacock’s Britney Eurton afterward. “He has great shots. He can find the solutions. He can find any shots anywhere. So I had to be really focused on the match. I’m really happy to get through, to get the win at the end in the tiebreak. It was a tough and really intense match—I had to run a lot—and I’m really happy with the way I managed my nerves.
“I was a little bit tired and I tried not to think about it through the match. I tried to run and, as I said, it was an incredible match and I’m really happy to get the win in the end.”
The four-time Grand Slam champion scored a two-hour victory on Court Philippe Chatrier on a day of massive upsets in Paris.
Facing a 0-4 second-set deficit, Zheng Qinwen roared through seven of the last eight games, shocking Polish world No. 1 Iga Swiatek 6-2, 7-5 to snap the four-time French Open champion’s 25-match winning streak at Roland Garros and become the first Chinese player to reach the Olympic gold-medal match.
On court Suzanne Lenglen, stylish Italian Lorenzo Musetti toppled Olympic gold-medal champion Alexander Zverev 7-5, 7-5 becoming the first Italian to reach the Olympic semifinals. Musetti’s run comes three weeks after he reached the Wimbledon semifinals.
Defending Wimbledon champion Alcaraz repelled Paul 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 scoring his 12th straight SW19 win last month en route to his second straight title at The Championships.
In a clash of current Queen's champion Paul and the 2023 Queen’s Club champion Alcaraz, the loud crowd on Court Chatrier saw some electrifying running rallies between two of the most agile athletes in the sport.
Paul tried to serve-and-volley, but Alcaraz hit a dipping return at his feet handcuffing the American to break for 4-2.
Sprinting sideline-to-sideline, Alcaraz hit a sensational sliding backhand pass down the line. That stirring shot was a prelude to an ace out wide that backed up the break for 5-2.
A free-flowing Alcaraz spun a forehand winner down the line to build a one-set lead.
Bursting out of the blocks quickly to start set two, Paul broke for a 2-0 second-set lead.
Paul prepared for grass season by watching video of serve-and-volley stylists ranging from Pete Sampras to Tim Henman. Applying his attacking skills on dirt, Paul saved a break point then punched a forehand volley winner confirming the break for 3-0.
Paul was playing attacking tennis in building a 4-1 second-set lead today. Afterward, Alcaraz admitted suffering ennui after that emotionally-draining loss alongside Nadal last night.
“It was a difficult moment, last night for me, playing with Rafa was a dream for me, a dream come true,” Alcaraz said. “And I wanted to keep going in the doubles so when I was lost, you know, it was down a little bit.
“But I had my team supporting me, saying: It is tennis, it is what it is. And I have to be positive take the positive things from the doubles and focus on today’s match. So I tried to forget about the feelings of last night and tried to think about a new day today.”
When Alcaraz held in the fourth game, some Spanish fans started chanting “Carlos! Carlos!” trying to rouse the reigning Roland Garros champion.
Serving for the second set at 5-3, Paul pounded a forehand winner down the line denying break point.
Still Alcaraz delivered a stunning streak-show moment converting his second break point with a dazzling running forehand strike down the line breaking for 4-5 and cupping his hand behind his ear to invite roaring fans to erupt even more.
A re-energized Alcaraz breezed through a love hold leveling after 10 games.
In the second-set tiebreaker, Paul ran down a dropper and crushed a crosscourt forehand winner to open.
Paul did the right thing attacking again but out of respect for Alcaraz’s blinding speed, the American pushed a drop volley slightly wide as the Spanish superstar went up 5-3 in the tiebreaker.
Alcaraz blasted a diagonal forehand for match point at 6-5. On the very next point an Alcaraz return clipped the tape and plopped over on his side of the net.
Pressing the issue, Paul followed a forehand down the line in for a forehand volley winner that gave him set point at 7-6.
Explosive speed from the Spaniard saved him from playing a third set. Alcaraz ran down a dropper and flicked a backhand pass down the line to save set point.
Hitting a forehand behind Paul, Alcaraz swatted a forehand drive volley for a second match point and closed in one hour, 59 minutes when Paul missed a forehand down the line.