Tommy Paul vs Carlos Alcaraz live: The Spaniard takes control at the US Open

Carlos Alcaraz moved closer to the US Open quarterfinals by taking the first two sets against Tommy Paul. The Spaniard won the opening set 6-4 in a closely contested start, then followed with a 6-3 second set.

Alcaraz applied pressure on Paul’s serve and secured the decisive break in the American’s final service game of the first set. The second set began even better for him: he held serve, broke Paul, gave the break back, and then broke again before holding to take a 4-1 lead.

The match marked Alcaraz’s return to competition after four months out with a wrist injury. The player from El Palmar had reached the fourth round after beating Safiullin in three straight 6-4 sets, Faria in four sets, and Wu in straight sets.

Paul had dropped sets in each of his first three matches, against Wong, Prizmic and Bublik. This was the ninth meeting between the two players, with Alcaraz holding a 6-2 advantage in their previous encounters. If he wins, his quarterfinal opponent will come from the match between Ben Shelton and Stefanos Tsitsipas.