Carlos Alcaraz sets up blockbuster Wimbledon SF showdown with Daniil Medvedev after getting past Tommy Paul
Carlos Alcaraz booked his spot in the semifinals of the 2024 Wimbledon Championships on Tuesday, overcoming American No. 2 Tommy Paul in the quarterfinals. The World No. 3 is now set for a blockbuster showdown with former World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev in the semifinals.
Alcaraz, the defending, was slow to get off the blocks in the opening set, almost losing serve early on. Although he held firm to remain on par with the American until 5-5, he lost his next service game, allowing Paul to walk away with the set 7-5.
In the second set, Tommy Paul drew first blood, opening up an early 2-0 lead. However, the Spaniard soon found his rhythm and leveled proceedings at 2-2. From then on, it was all Alcaraz, as he broke for the second time to take the set 6-4.
The three-time Grand Slam champion then did one better in the third, breaking twice for a 6-2 win. Although Paul had his moments of magic scattered throughout the contest, it was not enough at the end of the day, as the World No. 3 took the fourth set 6-2 with another emphatic double break-display to seal the match in his favor after a little over three hours.
The head-to-head between Alcaraz and Paul is now 3-2 in favor of the former. All four of their previous clashes had come at Masters 1000 tournaments, meaning Alcaraz now leads Paul 1-0 in Grand Slam battles.
Carlos Alcaraz leads 4-2 in head-to-head against Daniil Medvedev
The head-to-head between Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev is currently 4-2, with the Spaniard having won two of their most recent encounters. They have met once this year before, at the Indian Wells Open, where Alcaraz won in straight sets to take the final.
They have met twice before at Wimbledon, splitting the meetings 1-1. While the Russian prevailed in 2021, Alcaraz had his revenge last year on his way to the title. After beating Medvedev in the semifinals, he conquered Novak Djokovic in the final for his maiden title at the Grass Major.
Should he reach the final, Alcaraz is likely to come up against World No. 2 and 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic in the final. The Serb is taking on Aussie No. 1 Alex de Minaur in the quarterfinals tomorrow, while Taylor Fritz and Lorenzo Musetti will battle it out in the other quarterfinal of the day.