Paris Olympics 2024: Carlos Alcaraz vs Tommy Paul preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (2) Carlos Alcaraz vs (9) Tommy Paul
Date: August 1, 2024
Tournament: Paris Olympics 2024
Round: Quarterfinal
Venue: Stade Roland Garros, Paris, France
Category: Olympics
Surface: Clay
Live Telecast: USA - NBC, Peacock | UK - Eurosport, Discovery+, BBC iPlayer | Canada - CBC Gem, Radio Canada, Tou.tv | India - JioCinema, Sports18
Carlos Alcaraz vs Tommy Paul preview
Spain's Carlos Alcaraz will lock horns with USA's Tommy Paul in the quarterfinals of the Paris Olympics 2024.
Alcaraz made a winning debut at the Olympics by beating Lebanon's Hady Habib 6-3, 6-1 in his opener. He next secured a 6-1, 7-6 (3) win over Netherlands' Tallon Griekspoor to reach the third round, where Roman Safiullin awaited him.
Alcaraz was off to a fast start as he broke Safiullin's serve twice to go 3-0 up in the first set. The latter managed to get one of the breaks back but couldn't completely recoup the deficit. The Spaniard remained in front until the end of the set to claim it.
Alcaraz broke the Russian's serve to begin the second set and backed it up with a hold of serve to make it 2-0. Safiullin saved two break points in the fifth game to avoid falling further behind but the Spaniard wasn't to be denied. From 3-2 onwards, he bagged the next three games to score a 6-4, 6-2 win.
Paul beat Italy's Luciano Darderi 6-3, 6-4 in the first round before defeating Czechia's Jakub Mensik 6-3, 6-1. He was up against home favorite Corentin Moutet in the third round.
Paul initially led by a break in the first set but Moutet managed to even the score. The American struck once more to go 5-4 up, and once again failed to back up his lead. He couldn't serve out the set despite holding two set points.
The set eventually went to a tie-break, where Paul gained the upper hand to take a one-set lead. He raced to a 3-0 lead in the second set, which he didn't relinquish this time. While he let go of three match points on Moutet's serve at 5-2, he closed out the match himself in the next game for a 7-6 (6), 6-3 victory.
Carlos Alcaraz vs Tommy Paul head-to-head
Alcaraz leads Paul 3-2 in the head-to-head. The Spaniard won their most recent encounter at this year's Wimbledon in four sets.
Carlos Alcaraz vs Tommy Paul odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Carlos Alcaraz vs Tommy Paul prediction
Alcaraz played his best match of the week to oust Safiullin and make the last eight. He won 80 percent of his first serve points and fired 21 winners against 11 unforced errors. Additionally, he has also reached the doubles quarterfinal partnering Rafael Nadal.
Paul has been in pretty good form this week as well. Moutet offered him a challenge, and he rose to the occasion to emerge victorious. However, his level was a little inconsistent in the previous round, which won't cut it against the Spaniard.
The two have a close rivalry, with only one of their five matches being decided in straight sets. Alcaraz recently beat Paul en route to the Wimbledon title. He's currently on a 10-match winning streak, and given his form, he's likely to one-up the American yet again.
Pick: Carlos Alcaraz to win in three sets.