Carlos Alcaraz passes Tommy Paul test, clinches spot in Paris Olympic medal rounds

Carlos Alcaraz is two wins away from a gold medal at the 2024 Summer Olympic Games, thwarting American Tommy Paul, 6-3, 7-6 (7) in the quarterfinals to edge into the medal rounds in Paris.

The No. 2 seed, back on the terre battue after winning his first Roland Garros title in June, trailed Paul, seeded ninth, by 2-5 in the second set before ultimately winning a tiebreaker in just under two hours on Court Philippe-Chatrier.

Alcaraz-Paul has become one of the most intriguing rivalries in men’s tennis, with Alcaraz owning a narrow 3-2 lead heading into the Olympic Games. Paul’s two victories have come up north in Montréal and Toronto, where Alcaraz has had the upper hand elsewhere, most recently winning their Wimbledon quarterfinal earlier in the month.

Still, Paul pushed the eventual champion to four sets at the All England Club and had enjoyed a decisive run to the quarterfinals in Paris, winning three rounds without dropping a set. The 27-year-old looked to maintain that momentum against his younger—but more experienced—opposition as the match got underway, opening up a 15-40 lead on Alcaraz’s opening serve.

The Spaniard, who endured a disappointing men’s doubles defeat with Rafael Nadal less than 24 hours ago, has been equally efficient in men’s singles and soon turned the tide on Paul, scoring the lone break of the opening set to put himself six games from the medal rounds.

Paul responded in emphatic fashion, edging out to a 3-0 lead in the second set and threatening a double break on Alcaraz’s serve. Fending off two break points with his inimitable all-court play, the reigning Roland Garros and Wimbledon champion let out a roar as he got on the board. But Paul kept pressing as he edged closer to a final set, striking some powerful serves and scintillating forehands en route to a 5-2 advantage.

Alcaraz made a big push on the brink of a decider, forcing a volley miss from Paul to engineer a break point. Paul saved one but couldn’t save a second, Alcaraz bringing Chatrier to its feet as he got the second set back on serve.

Pegged back to 5-5, Paul put down a strong serve game in response to put pressure back on Alcaraz, who gamely forced a second-set tiebreaker.

The pair exchanged mini-breaks as the Sudden Death got underway but Paul narrowly missed a volley to hand Alcaraz a 5-3 lead. Alcaraz served his way to 6-5 after overpowering Paul from the back of the court but missed out on match point thanks to an unfriendly netcord.

Revitalized by the lucky break, Paul earned a set point with another attacking play only for Alcaraz to turn the tables at the net, putting his hand to his ear to hype up the crowd. Down a second match point, Paul overpressed on the forehand side and Alcaraz was exultant, two wins away from an Olympic gold medal.

Standing between Alcaraz and the Gold Medal match will be a quarterfinal between No. 6 seed Casper Ruud, a two-time Roland Garros finalist, and No. 13 seed Félix Auger-Aliassime, who face off later on Thursday.