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Match Details
Fixture: (1) Carlos Alcaraz vs (12) Tommy Paul
Date: August 11, 2023
Tournament: Canadian Open 2023
Round: Quarterfinal
Venue: Toronto, Canada
Category: ATP Masters 1000
Surface: Hard
Prize money: $6,600,000
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | Canada - Sportsnet, TVA Sports | UK - Amazon Prime Video | India - Sony Liv
Carlos Alcaraz vs Tommy Paul preview
Top seed Carlos Alcaraz will face off against Tommy Paul in the quarterfinals of the 2023 Canadian Open on Friday.
Following a first-round bye, Alcaraz moved past Ben Shelton in straight sets to reach the third round. He took on Hubert Hurkacz for a spot in the last eight. The Spaniard's slow start cost him the first set as he was unable to recover after going down 3-0.
Hurkacz struck first in the second set as well as he secured a break of serve at the start of the set. Alcaraz broke back immediately this time and went on to claim the set by coming out on top in the tie-break. With momentum on his side, the World No. 1 raced to a 5-2 lead in the third set.
However, Alcaraz wasted two match points and failed to close out the contest on two occasions. Hurkacz eventually managed to force a tie-break, though the Spaniard gained the upper hand in it to score a 3-6, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (3) comeback win.
Paul needed three sets to get past Diego Schwartzman and Francisco Cerundolo to reach the third round, where Marcos Giron awaited him. The 12th seed led by a break in the first set but allowed his opponent to get back on level terms with him.
Paul then snagged another break and didn't squander his lead this time to bag the set. The second set was more straightforward as he reeled off five games in a row to win the match 6-3, 6-2.
Carlos Alcaraz vs Tommy Paul head-to-head
The two have split their previous couple of meetings to tie the head-to-head at 1-1. Alcaraz won their last encounter at the 2023 Miami Open in straight sets.
Carlos Alcaraz vs Tommy Paul odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Carlos Alcaraz vs Tommy Paul prediction
Alcaraz's comeback against Hurkacz almost went off the rails, but the Spaniard got it together just in time to stage an escape act. He has now extended his unbeaten run to 14 matches. He'll still need to clean up his act, as he made a fair number of errors in the previous round.
After a couple of tough matches in Toronto, Paul scored his first easy win of the week by defeating Giron in straight sets. The American went 4/4 on break points and lost his serve just once while erasing seven of the eight break points he faced.
While Alcaraz bested Paul when they met in Miami earlier this year, the latter got the better of the former in this very tournament last year. Both of them are capable of going toe-to-toe from the back of the court, though the World No. 1 has more tricks up his sleeve to catch his opponent off guard.
Alcaraz has lost just four matches this season, so despite his issues in the last round, he'll be the favorite to win this match.
Pick: Carlos Alcaraz to win in three sets.
