Tennis-Alcaraz bludgeons Paul to reach French Open semis, Swiatek to face Sabalenka

Hindustan Times

2 days ago

PARIS, - Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz steamrolled past American 12th-seed Tommy Paul 6-0 6-1 6-4 at the French Open on Tuesday with a jaw-dropping display of attacking tennis in one of the most one-sided men's quarter-finals in Paris in recent memory.
Four-time champion Iga Swiatek, who is looking to become the first woman in the professional era to win four consecutive titles in Paris, also punched her semi-final ticket with
a straight sets win over Elina Svitolina
of Ukraine to set up a mouth-watering semi-final with world number one Aryna Sabalenka.
But it was four-time Grand Slam champion Alcaraz's merciless dismantling of Paul that grabbed the fans' attention, with the 22-year-old Spaniard terrorising the former French Open junior champion who looked like a fish out of water.
Alcaraz charged through the first two sets in just 53 minutes and in near flawless fashion, hitting winners at will and chasing down every ball before the shell-shocked American had any time to react.
Paul pulled himself together to hold serve and go 4-3 up in the third but as the sun gradually went down over Paris so did the curtain on his inspired run, with Alcaraz winning three games in a row to put him out of his misery in just 94 minutes.
"I could close my eyes and everything went in," Alcaraz said. "My feeling was unbelievable. I tried to hit the shots 100% and not think about it."
"Today it was one of those matches where everything went in," he said.
He will next take on in-form Italian Lorenzo Musetti who battled past American Frances Tiafoe in four sets after surviving a second-set wobble, to reach the French Open semi-finals for the first time.
MUSETTI WARNING
Musetti, the world number seven, who escaped with a warning for unsportsmanlike conduct when he kicked a ball at a line judge, eventually overran 15th seed Tiafoe.
"Honestly it was really unlucky coincidence," said Musetti of the incident.
"I was a little bit scared, because I really didn't want to harm nobody, of course. So I immediately went to the line umpire, and I of course said, 'sorry', I apologise to everyone."
"It was right to have a warning, but I think the umpire saw that there was no intention about that, and that's why probably just, you know, let me continue my game."
That occurred in the second set when Musetti, the only man to reach at least the semi-finals of every main claycourt event this season, was given balls to serve.
He kicked one to inadvertently hit the line judge, who barely flinched even though she was hit on her upper body.
Grand Slam rules state that players are issued a warning at first instance for any ball abuse. Tiafoe, however, called it 'comical' that there was no serious punishment.
"I mean, obviously he did that and nothing happened," said Tiafoe, who had looked surprised and pointed out the incident to the chair umpire.
"I think that's comical, but it is what it is. Nothing happened, so there's nothing really to talk about. Obviously it's not consistent, so it is what it is."
Earlier, and in front of a sparse crowd around lunchtime, Swiatek braved the windy conditions to beat Svitolina 6-1 7-5.
Although Swiatek failed to win a title going into the tournament this season, she looks to have rediscovered her remarkable claycourt form in Paris, stretching her winning run at the French Open to 26 consecutive matches following her title three-peat between 2022-24 to add to her 2020 crown.
Three-time Grand Slam champion Sabalenka, hunting her first French Open crown, also needed just two sets
to overcome Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen
and snap her opponent's 10-match winning streak at Roland Garros with a 7-6 6-3 victory.
"I think we're all here for one reason," Sabalenka said. "Everyone wants that beautiful trophy. I'm glad I have another opportunity, another semi-final to do better than last time."
"I really hope that by the end of the claycourt season I'm really proud of myself."