Carlos Alcaraz remains strong on his path at Roland Garros. The young tennis player from Murcia defeated American Ben Shelton with a score of 7-6(8), 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, in a match that lasted 3 hours and 19 minutes. With this victory, Alcaraz has reached the quarterfinals of the Paris Grand Slam for the fourth consecutive time.

At 22 years and 28 days old, the Spaniard has already achieved a remarkable milestone: he is the third-youngest player to reach the Roland Garros quarterfinals on multiple occasions, behind only Rafael Nadal (47 wins at that age in the tournament) and David Ferrer (17).

One Hundred Clay Court Wins

Thanks to an outstanding European clay court season 19 wins in 20 matches Alcaraz has now claimed his 100th victory on this surface. Only three players in history have reached that milestone in fewer matches than he has (119): Rafael Nadal (100-12), Ken Rosewall (100-15), and Tom Okker (100-15).

Against left-handed opponents, the Murcian has shown notable efficiency, winning 34 of 44 matches against such rivals. The latest was Jack Draper in the quarterfinals of the Rome Masters 1000.

Alcaraz, the defending champion, has now won his last 11 matches at Roland Garros. In his last three matches, he has dropped a set in each, but continues his solid run in the tournament, aiming to follow in the footsteps of players like Rafael Nadal and Gustavo Kuerten, who successfully defended their titles in the 21st century.

Tommy Paul, the Next Challenge

On his way to the semifinals, Alcaraz will face Tommy Paul, a rival in the prime of his tennis career. The 28 year old American recently reached the semifinals of the Rome Masters 1000, a clear sign of his progress on clay. In Paris, he advanced past the third round for the first time in his career.

Paul comfortably defeated Australian Alexei Popyrin 6-3, 6-3, 6-3, becoming the first American player to reach the Roland Garros quarterfinals since Andre Agassi in 2003. It was his first straight sets win of the tournament, after needing five sets in each of his two previous matches.

Favorable Head to Head for Alcaraz

The upcoming match will be the seventh between Alcaraz and Paul. The Spaniard leads the head-to-head 4-2, including a win at the Tokyo Olympics, which was their only previous encounter on clay. Paul has not beaten Alcaraz since the quarterfinals of the 2023 Canadian Masters 1000.