NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 04: Carlos Alcaraz of Spain celebrates after defeating Yibing Wu of China in their Men’s Singles Third Round match on Day Six of the 2026 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 04, 2026 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
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Tommy Paul didn’t know what hit him.
Carlos Alcaraz smacked blazing forehand winners into the corners, ripped backhand winners down the line and crushed serves averaging close to 120 mph.
The defending U.S. Open champion and No. 2 seed dominated No. 20 Paul, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4, before a huge crowd in their fourth round match in Arthur Ashe Stadium. Alcaraz improved to 7-2 against the American.
After missing 4 1/2 months on tour with a right wrist injury, Alcaraz is now just three victories from becoming the first repeat champion at the Open since the great Roger Federer won five in a row from 2004-08.
“If you had to choose one person and say they’re the favorite, I’ll take them over anyone, I think it’s obviously Carlos going into the second week,” Andy Roddick, the last American man to win a major at the U.S. Open in 2003, told me in an exclusive interview earlier Sunday in an appearance promoted by GEICO.
“He’s been pretty straight forward, he’s still finding his range on his forehand. He’s gotten broken more. I think he’s been broken six or seven times. He was broken three times last year all tournament. So as great as he’s been, I still think there’s room.”
Alcaraz will next face the winner between No. 8 Ben Shelton and Stefanos Tsitsipas in the quarterfinals on Tuesday.
In the semis, he could potentially meet No. 7 Daniil Medvedev, a former U.S. Open champion, or No. 11 Frances Tiafoe, who, along with Paul and Shelton, was one of five American men – along with five American women – into the fourth round.
Top seed and French Open champion Alexander Zverev could be his opponent in the final.
With Paul serving at 4-5 in the first set, he quickly fell behind 0-40 and saved one set point before he hit an inside-out forehand wide to drop the set.
In the second set, Alcaraz quickly earned a break for 2-0 and then cruised the rest of the set while making 12 winners against 11 unforced errors. In the sixth game, he ripped a two-handed backhand winner down the line that awed the crowd.
“Was this an easy shot?” John McEnroe asked on air. “No, not even for Carlos Alcaraz. Somehow he pulled it off.”
Alcaraz broke Paul early in the third set for a 2-1 lead.
Serving for the match 5-4 in the third, Alcaraz broke out his trusty forehand drop shot mid-point, but Paul retrieved it only to watch Alcaraz hit a winner.
Paul had a break point at 30-40, but hit a backhand into the net.
Facing a second break point, Alcaraz hit a swinging forehand volley winner into the corner.
The Spaniard then cracked a wicked crosscourt forehand winner to bring himself to match point.
Alcaraz then hit a service winner on second point to close it out.
“I tried to play my style,” Alcaraz said on court. “Tommy is such a talented player. Sometimes [it’s] pretty difficult to control the ball so I just try to be ready to run and trying to be aggressive all the time.”
Paul came into the tournament hoping to break through to his first U.S. Open quarterfinal after reaching that stage in every other major.
But he remains stuck at the fourth round and while another American man may break through to win a major for the first time since 2003, it won’t be Paul here in New York.
“To win the biggest tournament in any sport, it’s very hard,” he said earlier in the tournament. “I mean, it’s two long weeks of tennis and long matches, and you’re playing against the best players.
“Obviously we have a little extra pressure because you guys always tell us that we haven’t won a Slam in whatever, 23 years, and then we’re also at home soil where we want to do well and put expectations on ourselves.
He added:”It’s a tough task…I have talked to the guys in the locker room, like everyone feels pretty good. If not this year, it’s gonna happen soon.
“I think it’s super exciting. You can ask whoever wins the next slam, whatever American wins the next slam, ask him about his journey, I guess.”
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