Tommy Paul seeks to cement nemesis status for No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz in Cincinnati

WATCH: Paul weathered a bit of teasing from Prakash Amritraj on his Vanity Fair shoot at the Tennis Channel Live Desk.

CINCINNATI, Ohio—This isn’t another story about the future of American men’s tennis.

Tommy Paul put himself in present tense at the National Bank Open when he scored a second win over Carlos Alcaraz to reach his first Masters 1000 semifinal. He now has the opportunity to extend his winning head-to-head against the world No. 1 to 3-1 at the Western & Southern Open.

“It doesn’t feel any different, really,” Paul insisted of the generational shift at the top of the ATP rankings. “He’s obviously an unbelievable player, but when I play him there’s more energy around the match and it’s more exciting. I’m more excited to play those matches and I have a lot of fun.”

But Paul would be forgiven for having just a bit more fun against Alcaraz after beating him in three dramatic sets up North. Where he struggled to match the intensity of Novak Djokovic in the semifinals of the Australian Open earlier this year, the 25-year-old has successfully taken it to the Spaniard in two of their three meetings, countering the reigning Wimbledon champion’s inimitably audacious shotmaking with aggression of his own—foraying to net 23 times and winning all but two of those points.

If he gets on the aggressive side earlier than I do, then it’s big trouble. It’s not easy to go from defense to offense against Alcaraz, so the less time I can spend on the defensive side, the better. Tommy Paul

“You can’t do the same exact thing in any given match,” he nonetheless cautioned after knocking out French lefty Ugo Humbert in straight sets on Wednesday. “I didn’t do the same thing for the whole match last time I played him and I won’t do all the same things tomorrow that I did last week.

“If he gets on the aggressive side earlier than I do, then it’s big trouble,” he added at the Tennis Channel Live Desk. “It’s not easy to go from defense to offense against Alcaraz, so the less time I can spend on the defensive side, the better.”

Consistent offense has become Paul’s hallmark through an 18-month rise up the rankings: a cracking serve and a flashy forehand—mixed with improved athleticism and positive court positioning—have all done much to earn him his current career-high ranking of No. 13.

In the midst of his best-ever run at the Western & Southern Open, Paul is yet to drop a set in Mason, winning a pair of second-set tiebreakers against Humbert and Miomir Kecmanovic and finding his uninhibited tennis is translating despite the disparate conditions between Canada and Cincinnati.

“You would probably think there’s momentum from Canada but when I got here and played my first-round match, I was starting completely from scratch again,” he said.

“The courts feel sticky here in a weird way, super-fast with the balls. It’s like, the balls are really moving through the court but my shoes are grabbing the court, so I’m thinking I’m going to bust my knee or something. So, I’m trying not to slide!”

Paul has instead slid in front of the camera, no easy feat for the soft-spoken New Jersey/North Carolina native. His high-fashion turn in an all-American spread for Vanity Fair evoked The Matrix (think Morpheus) for some and Austin Powers (think Frau Farbissina) for friend and fellow player Alex Rybakov.

“We did not keep the clothes, nor could we pick the clothes,” laughed Paul, who prefers a decidedly more casual, street-style aesthetic. “Trust me, I wasn’t the one picking the alligator-skin trench coat. It was fun, but it’s not really my world. It’s definitely leaving the comfort zone.”

I think I’m No. 13, and I still have to get to No. 12 and No. 11 and then No. 10. I’m thinking about getting to No. 12 right now and winning my match tomorrow. Tommy Paul

Further new territory may await Paul on the court as he stands in position to vie for his first Nitto ATP Finals berth. Another win over Alcaraz would put the American that much closer to the Top 8.

“I think everyone else pays attention a lot more than I do. It’s hard to not hear it, like when I first showed up here, Frances was in the locker room like, ‘Man, if anyone’s going to bump me out of the Top 10, I want it to be you!’ and I was like, ‘Dude, I wasn’t even thinking about that; I was playing Sinner! I had to beat Sinner and then win another match to get Top 10.’

“But I’m not really thinking about it too much. I think I’m No. 13, and I still have to get to No. 12 and No. 11 and then No. 10. I’m thinking about getting to No. 12 right now and winning my match tomorrow.”

Staying present put Paul into the conversation; another opportunity to prove himself against one of the best in the game could be what keeps him there.