"Really tough; he's a mix of everything" - Carlos Alcaraz hails Tommy Paul after losing to American again at Canadian Open

Carlos Alcaraz complimented Tommy Paul, calling him "one of the best players in the world right now" after losing to the American for a second time at the Canadian Open.

Paul defeated Alcaraz 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 in the quarterfinals on Friday, August 11. The Spaniard got off to a disappointing start as he was broken in the opening game of the match. He committed four double faults and seven unforced errors in the first set as Paul broke his serve two more times.

Alcaraz fought his way back into the match, securing the second set, but the American upped the ante in the third to knock the 20-year-old out of the tournament.

During the post-match press conference, Carlos Alcaraz admitted to not playing well.

"I didn't play well," he said. "All I can do now is practice to be better. You know, I have some weeks before US Open. But now I have to be focused on Cincinnati. It's a Masters 1000. It's a big tournament as well. But, obviously, I take a lot of lesson from this tournament."

The 20-year-old was full of praise for Paul, describing him as a "complete player" and one of the best in the world at the moment.

"I mean, he's certainly a complete player. You know, the matches that we have played has been really tough ones, you know, last year, in Miami, and this one," he said.

"He's a really solid player. Has great talent, great shots. You know, he's really, really fast as well. So he's one of the best players in the world right now. So he's really tough on every surface. I mean, he's a mix of everything," he added.

"I played a really good match today" - Tommy Paul on defeating Carlos Alcaraz

Tommy Paul celebrates victory over Carlos Alcaraz.

During his post-match interview, Tommy Paul spoke about his attitude heading into the quarterfinal against Carlos Alcaraz, who he now leads 2-1 in their head-to-head.

“It helps knowing you can beat your opponent," he said. "You never want to walk on court & be like ‘I don’t know if I can beat this guy.’ It’s kind of the attitude you’ve got to have no matter who you’re playing."

The American further elaborated on his approach against Alcaraz.

“I don’t know if I figured out the recipe. I played a really good match today. I went after my shots.. You can’t start any points on your heels against him. You have to go after your shots early in the rally…” he said.

Paul will meet Jannik Sinner in the semifinals of the Canadian Open on Saturday, August 12.