Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz delivered a stunning performance to beat American Tommy Paul in straight sets and move into the French Open semi-finals.
The Spanish star, seeded second, took just 53 minutes to win the first two sets, dropping only one game, before closing out a 6-0, 6-1, 6-4 victory in Paris.
Paul, the 12th seed, put up more of a fight in the third set, but Alcaraz broke his serve at 5-4 and sealed the win in 94 minutes. The 22-year-old will now face Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti for a place in Sunday’s final.
Musetti, seeded eighth, earlier defeated Frances Tiafoe 6-2, 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 to reach his second Grand Slam semi-final, after doing so at Wimbledon last year. Tiafoe was the first American man to reach a French Open quarter-final in 22 years.
Alcaraz, already a three-time Grand Slam champion, was back to his brilliant best after being taken to four sets in each of his last three matches. He hit powerful groundstrokes, clever drop shots, and sharp lobs that Paul couldn’t cope with. Alcaraz had 17 break points in the match and converted six; Paul didn’t manage a single one.
Speaking after the match, Alcaraz joked with the crowd for giving them a short match but said it was one of those days when “everything went in.”
His semi-final opponent Musetti has had an impressive clay season, winning 19 matches and losing only three, including twice to Alcaraz, once in Rome and once in Monte Carlo.
Musetti, one of the few top players with a one-handed backhand, says becoming a father in 2024 helped him mature both personally and professionally. His partner Veronica is currently expecting their second child.
“Becoming a father gave me extra responsibility,” Musetti said. “Now I train and live in a more professional way. Even when my family can’t be with me, they’re always in my heart.”
Musetti received a warning in the second set of his quarter-final after he accidentally hit a line judge with a ball he had kicked. As the judge wasn’t harmed, no further action was taken.
