FORGET THE RANKINGS: WHY TOMMY PAUL ALWAYS MAKES ALCARAZ LOOK VULNERABLE
Discover the head-to-head stats and tactical keys as Carlos Alcaraz and Tommy Paul meet for a spot in the Melbourne quarterfinals.
Carlos Alcaraz and Tommy Paul are about to clash for the third time at a Grand Slam, this time in the fourth round of the Australian Open.
Alcaraz cruised past Corentin Moutet on Thursday, 6-2, 6-4, 6-1. Paul, meanwhile, barely broke a sweat—he advanced after Alejandro Davidovich Fokina retired with a hamstring injury following a quick 6-1, 6-1 scoreline.
Let’s be real: the score against Moutet made it look easy for Alcaraz, but it wasn’t. Moutet ran him all over the court with drop shots. Alcaraz admitted it messed with his focus, and you could see he had to dig deep. Still, his speed and sharp net play made the difference. He won 30 points at the net and stayed solid when it mattered.
Now, Alcaraz stands just one win from his third straight Aussie Open quarterfinal—even though he’s never gone past the last eight here. He hasn’t dropped a set yet this year, and the last time he lost in the fourth round of a Slam was to Jannik Sinner at Wimbledon in 2022.
Against Moutet, Alcaraz only hit three aces but racked up 30 winners and kept his errors low—just one double fault in two hours.
Paul probably didn’t mind his easy path to round four, especially with Alcaraz waiting for him. Some extra rest could pay off. The American is in the fourth round here for the third time in four years. Last year, he beat Davidovich Fokina to reach the quarters.
Before his match ended early, Paul was nearly perfect on serve—winning 95% of his first serves and 75% of his second, with just six unforced errors and five breaks of serve in less than an hour. He also went six for seven at the net and didn’t serve a single double fault. All that should give him some confidence heading into his toughest test yet.
How they got here:
Alcaraz:
First round: beat Adam Walton 6-3, 7-6 (2), 6-2
Second round: beat Yannick Hanfmann 7-6 (4), 6-3, 6-2
Third round: beat Corentin Moutet 6-2, 6-4, 6-1
Paul:
First round: beat Aleksandar Kovacevic 6-4, 6-3, 6-3
Second round: beat Thiago Agustin Tirante 6-3, 6-4, 6-2
Third round: beat Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-1, 6-1
Head-to-head:
- Canada 2022: Paul wins 6-7, 7-6, 6-3.
- Miami 2023: Alcaraz wins 6-4, 6-4
- Canada 2023: Paul wins 6-4, 4-6, 6-3
- Cincinnati 2023: Alcaraz wins 7-6, 6-7, 6-3
- Wimbledon 2024: Alcaraz wins 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-2
- Olympics 2024: Alcaraz wins 6-3, 7-6.
- French Open 2025: Alcaraz wins 6-0, 6-1, 6-4
Their rivalry has real back-and-forth energy. Back in 2022, Paul blasted 41 winners to win a tight three-setter in Canada. In Miami, Alcaraz turned the tables, dominating on serve and never facing a break point.
They split matches in Canada, with Paul capitalising on Alcaraz’s double faults. Their Cincinnati battle was razor-thin, both pushing each other to tiebreaks before Alcaraz pulled away.
Wimbledon 2024? Alcaraz dropped the first set but stormed back, serving seven aces and eventually winning the whole tournament. At the Olympics, he gutted out a win on clay despite a tense tiebreak. And last year at Roland Garros, Alcaraz barely put a foot wrong, hitting 88% of first serves and not double-faulting once. Paul just couldn’t keep up.
Now, here they are again. Both rested. Both are dangerous. Alcaraz has the edge in their recent meetings, but Paul knows how to make things complicated. Expect fireworks.
WHY DID 22 PLAYERS SUDDENLY WITHDRAW FROM THE 2026 ITALIAN OPEN MID-TOURNAMENT?
Discover the full list of injured stars, including Carlos Alcaraz and Emma Raducanu, forced out of the 2026 Italian Open.
At the 2026 Italian Open, the number of players who have withdrawn or retired during matches has climbed to 22, spanning both the ATP and WTA competitions.
By midweek, 17 players had already exited the combined ATP/WTA 1000 event in Rome. Since then, an additional three men and two women have followed suit.
Before the draws were even announced on Monday, prominent names like Carlos Alcaraz, Taylor Fritz, Jack Draper, and Marketa Vondrousova had pulled out. On the opening day of the women’s tournament, Tuesday, Marta Kostyuk and Emma Raducanu also withdrew.
Amanda Anisimova, ranked sixth in the WTA, stepped back before her first match on Thursday due to a left wrist injury. Meanwhile, Victoria Mboko, who is ninth in the world, withdrew before playing on Friday because of a gastrointestinal illness.
Valentin Vacherot, the 16th-ranked player on the ATP tour, pulled out shortly before his scheduled second-round match against Marin Cilic on Friday, citing a foot injury.
Tomas Machac, holding the 41st spot in the men's rankings, also withdrew ahead of his second-round encounter with Daniil Medvedev after an impactful win against Stefanos Tsitsipas in round one.
Arthur Fils, ranked 17th, retired during his opening match against Andrea Pellegrino on Saturday, trailing 0-4, due to hip pain.
Here’s a rundown of the withdrawals on the ATP side: Carlos Alcaraz (No. 2) was replaced by Sebastian Ofner; Taylor Fritz (No. 7) by Zachary Svajda; Valentin Vacherot (No. 16) by Martin Landaluce; Arthur Rinderknech (No. 24) by Aleksandar Kovacevic; Holger Rune (No. 40) by Damir Dzumhur; Gabriel Diallo (No. 46) by Alexander Blockx; Jack Draper (No. 50) by Hamad Medjedovic; Raphael Collignon (No. 68) by Alexandre Muller; Reilly Opelka (No. 74) by Aleksandar Vukic; Arthur Cazaux (No. 73) by Mattia Bellucci; Kamil Majchrzak (No. 76) by Roberto Bautista Agut; and Eliot Spizzirri (No. 92) by James Duckworth.
On the WTA side, Amanda Anisimova (No. 6) was replaced by Elena Gabriela Ruse from Romania; Victoria Mboko (No. 9) by Nikola Bartunkova; Marta Kostyuk (No. 15) by Ajla Tomljanovic; Emma Raducanu (No. 30) by Lilli Tagger; Marketa Vondrousova (No. 44) by Solana Sierra; Sonay Kartal (No. 56) by Zeynep Sonmez; Varvara Gracheva (No. 61) by Eva Lys; and Veronika Kudermetova (No. 70) by Petra Marcinko.
THE "REST OVER REPS" PLAN: WHY JANNIK SINNER IS SNUBBING HALLE FOR WIMBLEDON
After 23 consecutive wins, World No. 1 Jannik Sinner adjusts his schedule to target a Career Grand Slam and Wimbledon glory.
Jannik Sinner has already logged a heavy schedule this year, with deep runs in recent Masters 1000 tournaments keeping him on court against top-tier competition regularly. Given this demanding stretch, he’s taken a fresh look at his calendar and decided to skip the Halle Open, carving out a three-week break between Roland Garros and his Wimbledon title defence.
The 2024 Wimbledon champion won’t be heading to Germany for the grass-court event. That’s notable since Sinner claimed that Wimbledon crown in impressive fashion, overcoming two-time winner Carlos Alcaraz to secure his first major title away from hardcourts. That victory was his latest Grand Slam, following Alcaraz’s wins at the previous two majors.
After Roland Garros, where he seeks to complete the career Grand Slam, Sinner plans to recharge rather than pile on more tournaments before Wimbledon. Without Alcaraz in sight, he’s considered a favourite to maintain his remarkable run. His recent haul includes titles at Indian Wells, Miami, Monte-Carlo, and, most recently, Madrid. Now, he’s setting his sights on Rome, his home turf, where he’s never clinched a win but is eager to continue an ambitious streak of Masters 1000 victories, aiming for a sixth in a row.
Post-Rome, he’ll take a week off before the French Open begins. In total, Sinner has played 23 matches over the last two months without tasting defeat. If he wants to lift the Rome trophy, he’ll need to notch six more wins, then potentially battle through seven more rounds in Paris. This demanding schedule partly explains his choice to forgo Halle.
As for the 2026 Halle Open, fans might be disappointed not to see the world number one, but the field remains strong. Heading the draw is Alexander Zverev, a local favourite who has yet to claim a grass-court title or even one on home soil. With Sinner out, this could be a prime opportunity for Zverev to break through.
The American players are also well represented. The U.S. hasn’t seen a finalist here since Mardy Fish in 2004, but Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton might be poised to change that, especially Fritz, who has already shown grass prowess with titles in Stuttgart and Eastbourne last year.
Defending champion Alexander Bublik, who ousted Sinner on his way to victory and took down Daniil Medvedev in the final, will be back aiming to repeat. Alongside him, names like Andrey Rublev, Flavio Cobolli, and Frances Tiafoe are also set to compete. The tournament runs from June 15 to 21, promising plenty of exciting tennis.
