With his world No. 1 ranking under attack and the wounds of an early Canadian Openexit still fresh from the previous week, Carlos Alcaraz’s match with Tommy Paul on Thursday was crucial as he prepares to defend his US Open title. But the young Spaniard not only overcame a weather delay at the Cincinnati Masters but also rebounded from a low in Toronto to avenge his defeat against the American in a three-hour, ten-minute third-round victory.
A week ago today, Paul ended Alcaraz’s chances of winning the Canadian Open for the first time by defeating him in the quarterfinal round. With two victories against the 20-year-old, both of which happened in Canada within a 12-month period, the world No. 14 did prove to be an excellent opponent, but Alcaraz was able to break the code in Ohio in a tense match to win 7-6(6), 6-7(0), 6-3 and advance to the quarterfinals.
Alcaraz will next play qualifier Max Purcell, who beat Stan Wawrinka 6-4, 6-2 earlier in the day. This will be his first match against the Australian. “He’s playing great. He defeated a lot of great players, top players,” the World No. 1 stated of his next opponent. He added, “So I have to play my best against him. I don’t know him really well, so I have to watch some videos from his last matches and be ready for the quarter-final. It’s not going to be easy.”