Alcaraz Reaches ATP Semifinal for 50th Time; Fritz Advances in Basel as Fils Retires
Spain's Carlos Alcaraz beat American Tommy Paul in straight sets in an ATP Tour quarterfinal, reaching the semifinals of an ATP event for the 50th time. At the ATP 500 tournament in Basel, Taylor Fritz advanced after France's Arthur Fils retired injured in the second set.
Spanish tennis player Carlos Alcaraz, ranked third in the world, defeated American Tommy Paul (ranked 14th) 6-4, 7-6 in the quarterfinals of an ATP Tour men's tournament. The win sent the 23-year-old into the semifinals of an ATP event for the 50th time in his career.
Paul is 29 and was once ranked as high as eighth in the world. Alcaraz was the favorite this time, with bookmakers offering odds of 1.26 on his victory.
How the match unfolded
In the long sixth game, Alcaraz saved two break points. In the next game he broke the American's serve on his fourth attempt. In the tiebreak the Spaniard went ahead 4-1 and won it 7-2.
Alcaraz won fewer points behind his first serve (70% against 80%), but he was better in first-serve percentage (82 against 67), in points won on second serve (60% against 48%) and in total points (78 to 73). On break points he converted one of four chances, while Paul failed to convert any of his five. Alcaraz hit five aces and one double fault; Paul had three aces and no double faults. Alcaraz's winners-to-unforced-errors ratio was 24-28, compared with 19-28 for Paul.
The head-to-head record now stands at 8-2 in Alcaraz's favor. This is his second appearance at the tournament; five years ago he also reached the semifinals.
Basel
In a quarterfinal of the ATP 500 tournament in Basel, American Taylor Fritz (ranked 13th) beat France's top player Arthur Fils (ranked eighth). Fritz won the first set, and with Fritz leading 2-0 in the second set, Fils retired because of a lower back injury.
