Reaffirming his status as the reigning Roland Garros champion, Spanish player Carlos Alcaraz stepped up his game to defeat American Tommy Paul in straight sets on Tuesday and secure a spot in the semifinals of the Paris Grand Slam. He will face Italian Lorenzo Musetti in the next round.

A Convincing Win Boosts Alcaraz Aspirations

With a score of 6-0, 6-1, 6-4 in just over an hour and a half during the night session at the Philippe-Chatrier court, Alcaraz notched his fifth victory in seven head-to-head matches against Paul.

After dropping a set in each of his previous three matches at Porte d’Auteuil and overcoming challenging moments that could have made his path difficult, the four-time Grand Slam champion sent a clear warning to potential upcoming rivals, including Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic, who have won all their sets so far in the tournament.

With aggressive and precise tennis, the 22 year old Spaniard secured his third consecutive Roland Garros semifinal appearance

The world number two arrived at this stage after delivering his most brilliant performance since starting his title defense. His dominance over Paul was so clear that he apologized to the crowd, who paid a hefty price to watch the night session.

“I’m sorry, but I have to do my job,” said Alcaraz, who added that he had “one of those days when everything goes right.”

This victory marks his 20th win this season on clay, a surface where he has claimed titles in Monte Carlo and Rome and was a finalist in Barcelona, where he suffered his only defeat.

A Familiar Opponent Awaits

Alcaraz next opponent is Lorenzo Musetti, ranked number seven in the world. The Spaniard has beaten the Italian twice this season and five of the six times they have faced each other, all except their first meeting, which took place in the Hamburg final in 2022.

Much has changed since then: Alcaraz has become an unstoppable force, while Musetti, known as the last standard-bearer of the one handed backhand, has grown into a formidable adversary.