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Tommy Paul ended Carlos Alcaraz’s 14-match successful streak when he upset the World No. 1 in Friday’s quarter-finals on the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers.
The American struck the ball cleanly to down the highest seed 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 and attain his maiden ATP Masters 1000 semi-final. The 26-year-old, who defeated Alcaraz final yr in Montreal, displayed all-court protection and sometimes appeared for alternatives to maneuver ahead to earn his first win over a World No. 1.
“I performed a extremely good match in the present day. I actually went after my photographs,” Paul mentioned in his on-court interview. “You’ll be able to’t begin any factors in your heels towards him or he’ll make the most of that. So you actually should go after your photographs early within the rally and I used to be feeling actually good on the first-strike tennis. That was the distinction in the present day.”
The twelfth seed received 21 of 23 web factors and rushed Alcaraz with aggressive returning all through the two-hour, 20-minute battle, through which the Spaniard dedicated 17 unforced forehand errors.
Regardless of being damaged whereas serving for the opening set at 5-2, Paul stayed focussed to shut the set within the ensuing recreation. Alcaraz grew pissed off together with his unforced errors, whereas the World No. 14 confirmed easy transition from defence to offence to achieve the final 4.
The Spaniard elevated his stage as he received 10 consecutive factors from 2-3 within the second set, throughout which he struck a tweener previous Paul that introduced the Toronto crowd to their toes. But it surely was Paul who gained a bonus by incomes a break within the sixth recreation of the ultimate set and received 76 per cent of factors behind his first serve within the decider.
The one-time tour-level titlist improved to 2-1 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head sequence with Alcaraz, who slips to 49-5 on the season. Final yr, Paul saved a match level to down Alcaraz in Montreal.
“It helps figuring out you could beat your opponent,” Paul mentioned. “You by no means need to stroll on the court docket and be like ‘I do not know if I can beat this man’. It is the angle you have to have irrespective of who you might be taking part in. I might say it helped a little bit bit.”
A semi-finalist at this yr’s Australian Open, Paul will subsequent meet seventh seed Jannik Sinner or Frenchman Gael Monfils. The New Jersey native is at a career-high No. 12 within the Pepperstone ATP Stay Rankings.
Alcaraz, who has collected a season-leading six tour-level titles, suffered his first loss since Roland Garros. It was additionally his first quarter-final lack of 10 appearances within the final eight this yr. He may meet Paul once more subsequent week in Cincinnati, the place they’re seeded to fulfill within the third spherical.
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