Carlos Alcaraz has advanced to his first Olympic semifinal after a two-set defeat over Tommy Paul. Alcaraz, who is competing in his first Olympics, survived a scare in the second when he was trailing 2-5, and for a moment, it looked like Paul was going to win the set. Alcaraz eventually won the set, winning the match 6-3, 7-6 (7).
Just a few weeks after winning his fourth grand slam title at Wimbledon, Alcaraz looks set for an Olympic medal. Thursday’s win came a day after he and veteran Rafael Nadal were booted out from the quarterfinals of the doubles category. But he is now two matches away from possibly claiming gold at the Olympics, a take that is not at all controversial, given his antecedent.
The quarterfinals were the sixth meeting between Alcaraz and Paul, and with the win, Alcaraz has now won four out of their six meetings. Paul was also one of the people Alcaraz defeated on his way to defending his title at Wimbledon last month.
In a similar fashion, Canadian Felix Auger-Alliasime scaled through to the semis after an empathic three-set victory over Casper Rudd. As if being the first Canadian at the Olympics quarterfinals wasn’t enough, he is now the first Canadian to make it through to the semifinals, where he would face Alcaraz.
The win against Rudd, ranked ninth in the world, means Auger-Aliassime has now beaten every player in the top 10 ranking. The match would have been over in two sets, but Paul’s relentless spirit forced a decider. But this was where Auger-Aliassime got to show himself as he easily broke his opponent early in the set and this set the pace for the rest of the match.
Alcaraz and Auger-Aliassime will play in the semifinals on Friday.
