Alcaraz Storms Through To Semi-final With Musetti

Defending French Open champion Carlos Alcaraz produced a dominant display to beat 12th seed Tommy Paul and reach the semi-finals at Roland Garros.

The second seed needed only 53 minutes to establish a two-set lead, losing only one game in the process.

American Paul offered plenty of resistance during a more competitive third set, but Alcaraz, 22, broke again for a 5-4 lead and quickly wrapped up a 6-0 6-1 6-4 victory.

The Spaniard will face 23-year-old Lorenzo Musetti for a place in Sunday’s final.

The Italian eighth seed defeated Frances Tiafoe 6-2 4-6 7-5 6-2 earlier on Tuesday and is into a Grand Slam semi-final for the second time in his career, having reached the Wimbledon last four in 2024.

Tiafoe, the first American to feature in a French Open quarter-final for 22 years, fought back to take the second set after Musetti dominated the opener.

ReadAbout

Djokovic beats Zverev to set up Sinner semi-final

Draper rues ‘missed opportunity’ after Bublik loss

French Open scheduling pleas ‘like hitting head against wall’

But the 15th seed fell away after losing a gruelling third set and could not keep up with Musetti’s graceful but punishing style.

‘Magnificent’ Alcaraz steps up several levels

Speaking on court after his match, Alcaraz jokingly apologised to the crowd that they had seen only 94 minutes of tennis during Tuesday’s evening session on Court Philippe-Chatrier.

But those watching could have few complaints about the quality of play they witnessed from the world number two, who said it was “one of those matches where everything went in”.

Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, former British number one Greg Rusedski described the defending champion’s performance as “magnificent” and this was a “statement” win.

Alcaraz had been taken to four sets by his previous three opponents in Paris, but the four-time Grand Slam champion stepped things up several levels with a supreme display against Paul.

His mixture of powerful groundstrokes, deft lobs and drop shots proved far too strong early on for the 28-year-old American, whose run to the last eight was his best-ever showing at Roland Garros.

Paul had no answer until the third set when his serve was much stronger, but he did not have a break point during the match. Alcaraz had 17 and converted six of them.

Alcaraz has already beaten semi-final opponent Musetti twice on the clay this year – in a semi-final in Rome and the final in Monte Carlo.

However, those are two of only three defeats Musetti has suffered during an excellent clay-court season, with his record this year on the surface now at 19 wins.

With a self-confessed “retro style”, he is one of the few players on tour with a one-handed backhand, which he says has come naturally since picking up a racquet as a child.

In the build-up to his quarter-final, he said he was “in the best period of his life” and that joy has been compounded by news that his partner Veronica is pregnant with their second child.

Tuscany-born Musetti said becoming a father to their son, Ludovico, in March last year changed his attitude on court and he has since been able to “play and do better”.

After his victory over Tiafoe, he said: “It’s a process of growing, not just inside the court but especially off the court.

“Last year I became a father. I think that gave me an extra responsibility and I now approach things in a more professional way, not just on the court in matches but in my daily routine.

“It’s important for me to be in order, when I practice and in my free time I enjoy my time with my family. Even if they are not here they are always with me in my heart, so this win is for them.”

In the second set of his last-eight match, the Italian hit a line judge with a ball he had kicked away.

He received a warning for the incident, with rules stating players only receive a default if the action causes “clear harm”.

DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.

Visit Our Social Media for More