'A lot of lessons' - World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz shocked by Tommy Paul in Toronto quarter-finals ahead of US Open
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Updated 12/08/2023 at 06:46 GMT
World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz saw his 14-match winning streak come to an end as he was beaten in three sets by Tommy Paul at the Canadian Open in Toronto. Alcaraz said he will "take a lot of lessons" from the tournament, where he did not play his best tennis across his three matches. Paul next faces seventh seed Jannik Sinner, who beat Gael Monfils in three sets.
Highlights: Paul stuns world No. 1 Alcaraz in Toronto
Carlos Alcaraz was upset by Tommy Paul at the Canadian Open for the second year in a row as the world No. 1 admitted he has to “improve a lot of things”.
World No. 14 Paul, who saved a match point to beat Alcaraz last year in Montreal, won 6-3 4-6 6-3 to reach his first ATP Masters 1000 semi-final.
The defeat ends Alcaraz’s 14-match winning streak.
"I played a really good match today. I really went after my shots," said Paul, who next faces Jannik Sinner after he beat Gael Monfils 6-4 4-6 6-3.
"You can't start any points on your heels against him or he'll take advantage of that. So you really have to go after your shots early in the rally and I was feeling really good on the first-strike tennis. That was the difference today.
"It helps knowing that you can beat your opponent.
"You never want to walk on the court and be like 'I don't know if I can beat this guy'. It's the attitude you've got to have no matter who you are playing. I would say it helped a little bit."
Alcaraz was broken three times in the first set as Paul made an impressive start.
A brilliant tweener winner helped Alcaraz take the second set, but it was Paul who proved stronger in the decider.
"I realise that I didn't play well, these matches,” said Wimbledon champion Alcaraz.
"All I can do now is practice to be better. I have some weeks before the US Open.
"But now I have to be focussed on Cincinnati. It's a Masters 1000. It's a big tournament as well. Obviously, I take a lot of lessons from this tournament.
"I think I did well some things, but probably everything can be better. I always say you can be better in everything even if you've played your best matches in your career.
"But right now, I have to improve a lot of things, getting more confidence in my game."
Alcaraz could meet Paul again in the Cincinnati Open third round next week.
"He's certainly a complete player,” said Alcaraz about Paul.
"He's a really solid player. Has great talent, great shots. He's really, really fast as well.
"So he's one of the best players in the world right now. There's no doubt about it.
“He's really tough on every surface. I mean, he's a mix of everything. It makes him really, really tough.”
Novak Djokovic returns to action in Cincinnati next week and will have a chance to get back to world No. 1.
Daniil Medvedev was upset by Alex de Minaur earlier in the day in Toronto.
De Minaur will meet Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the semis.
None of the remaining four players at the tournament have won a Masters 1000 title before.
Seventh seed Sinner is the highest-ranked player left in the draw following his victory over Monfils.
"It was very tough," said the Italian.
"In the second set, I made a couple unforced errors but he raised his level. In the third set, I just tried to stick to my game plan, trying to play a little more free, which I've done so I'm very happy about the performance."
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