Rafael Nadal is widely regarded as the greatest clay-court player in tennis history, especially when it comes to Roland Garros, where the Spaniard holds an unmatched record of 14 titles. Now, his compatriot Carlos Alcaraz appears to be following in his footsteps. The young Spaniard has reached the semifinals at the French Open, matching a milestone previously set by the “King of clay”.
Alcaraz delivered a dominant performance against American Tommy Paul, winning 6-0, 6-1, 6-4 in just over 90 minutes. The victory sets up a semifinal clash against Lorenzo Musetti, who ousted Frances Tiafoe.
With his commanding victory over Paul, the 22-year-old became the first defending champion to reach the semifinals the following year since Rafael Nadal in 2021, according to ATP Tour. Alcaraz heads into the matchup against Musetti in top form, having defeated the Italian earlier this season in both the Monte-Carlo Masters final and the Rome Masters semifinal.
Since May of last year, Alcaraz boasts an impressive 32-2 record on clay. He is now seeking to become only the third player this century to successfully defend the Roland Garros title, joining Nadal (10 times) and Gustavo Kuerten (2001).
Alcaraz reflects on his victory over Paul
The four-time Grand Slam champion acknowledged his outstanding performance, noting that everything seemed to fall into place during the match. “I could close my eyes, and everything went in,” Alcaraz said.
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“My feeling today was unbelievable,” he continued. “I was trying to hit every shot at 100 percent, not thinking about anything else, just hitting. Today was one of those matches where everything just worked”.
Alcaraz also praised Tommy Paul’s abilities, despite his own commanding win. He admitted that Paul’s prior victories over him served as motivation to stay focused throughout the match.
“We are in the quarterfinals at a Grand Slam, at Roland Garros, and this kind of match is never easy,” Alcaraz explained. “I have played against Tommy many times, and each match was very difficult. He beat me twice. That helped me at the start of the match to stay focused on my tennis, making sure not to let him gain momentum. I tried to maintain my concentration the entire match”.
