French Open: Merciless Carlos Alcaraz makes easy work of Tommy Paul to reach semis
Carlos Alcaraz was in no mood to negotiate. The defending French Open champion delivered a ruthless performance under the lights of Court Philippe-Chatrier on Tuesday, dismantling American Tommy Paul 6-0, 6-1, 6-4 to book his place in the semifinals of Roland Garros.The reigning Roland-Garros champion lived up to his billing as the favourite, delivering his most complete display of the tournament so far. From the outset, the Spaniard set a blistering pace, overwhelming Paul with a combination of power, precision, and flair that left the American reeling.advertisementAlcaraz raced through the opening set in just 25 minutes, sealing it 6-0 and setting the tone for what would be a one-sided contest. Paul managed to hold serve to open the second set, but that was the extent of his resistance. Alcaraz responded by winning six straight games, taking the second set 6-1 with ease.
The third set saw Paul offer some resistance, edging ahead 2-1 and later drawing level at 4-4, but the Spaniard remained composed. With unrelenting intensity and faultless execution, Alcaraz closed out the match 6-4, sealing a straight-sets victory in under two hours. MASTERCLASS #RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/Fa63fjG5Qi— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 3, 2025The win extended Alcaraz's unbeaten run on clay to 11 matches this season, improving his overall record on the surface to 20-1. He now leads the ATP Tour with 35 match wins and three titles in 2025, underlining his dominance during the clay swing.advertisementWith this victory, Alcaraz also became the first defending men's champion at Roland-Garros to return to the semi-finals the following year since Rafael Nadal in 2021. The Spaniard will now face Italy's Lorenzo Musetti in the last four, after the eighth seed defeated Frances Tiafoe in four sets earlier in the day.Paul, a semi-finalist at the 2023 Australian Open, had enjoyed an impressive run in Paris, becoming the first American man to reach the quarter-finals here in over two decades. Alongside Tiafoe, he also helped end a 29-year wait for two American men to feature in the last eight at Roland-Garros in the same year.But against Alcaraz, there was little either could have done. With his mix of raw talent, court intelligence and competitive fire, the Spaniard is making an emphatic case to retain his crown in Paris — and perhaps usher in a new era of dominance on the red clay.Must Watch
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