Carlos Alcaraz Advances to Paris Olympic Semifinals 2024 with Victory over Tommy Paul, Eyes Gold

In the second set, the No. 2 seed overcame a 2–5 deficit to go to the semifinals, where he will have a great chance to win his first Olympic medal.

Returning to the terre battue after winning his maiden Roland Garros title in June, the No. 2 seed fell behind ninth-seeded Paul 2–5 in the second set before winning a tiebreaker on Court Philippe-Chatrier in less than two hours.

With Alcaraz holding a slim 3-2 lead going into the Olympic Games, the rivalry between Alcaraz and Paul has developed into one of the most fascinating in men’s tennis. Paul’s two wins have come in Montréal and Toronto, up north, whereas Alcaraz has won elsewhere, most notably in their quarterfinal Wimbledon match earlier this month.

Paul managed to take the eventual champion to four sets at the All England Club, but he also won three rounds without dropping a set during his commanding march to the quarterfinals in Paris. As the match got underway, the 27-year-old tried to keep up that pace against his younger, but more seasoned, opponents, taking an early 15–40 lead on Alcaraz’s first serve.

After losing badly to Rafael Nadal in the men’s doubles just a day earlier, the Spaniard has been just as effective in the men’s singles. He quickly turned the tables on Paul, taking the lone break of the first set to move six games away from the medal rounds.

With a decisive win in the second set and a threat of a double break on Alcaraz’s serve, Paul answered with force. With his trademark all-court style, the defending Wimbledon and Roland Garros champion fended off two break points and let out a yell as he took the lead. But as he got closer to a decisive set, Paul didn’t let up, winning 5-2 thanks to some strong serves and superb forehands.

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On the verge of a decisive match, Alcaraz launched a strong attack that forced Paul to miss a volley and set up a break point. Alcaraz brought Chatrier to its feet as he returned the second set to serve, and Paul saved one but was unable to preserve the second.

With the score tied at five, Paul responded with a solid serve to regain pressure on Alcaraz, who valiantly forced a second-set tiebreaker.

As the Sudden Death began, the two traded mini-breaks, but Paul missed a volley that would have given Alcaraz a 5-3 lead. After overwhelming Paul from the back of the court, Alcaraz served his way to a 6-5 lead, but an unfavorable netcord kept him from taking match point.

After receiving a fortunate break, Paul used another attacking play to secure a set point. However, Alcaraz changed the game at the net and raised his palm to his ear to excite the fans. Paul overpressed on the forehand side with two match points down, and Alcaraz was ecstatic—two victories away from an Olympic gold medal.

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