Carlos Alcaraz issues public apology to Roland Garros crowd after thrashing Tommy Paul, 'I have to say sorry'

Carlos Alcaraz has secured his spot in the semi-finals of the French Open after a 6-0, 6-1, 6-4 win over Tommy Paul.

Coco Gauff thinks Alcaraz will defend his French Open title, with the Spaniard now just two wins away from doing exactly that.

Alcaraz needed just one hour and 34 minutes to beat Paul in Tuesday’s night session on Court Philippe-Chatrier.

The French Open second seed now takes on eighth seed Lorenzo Musetti in the semi-final, with the Italian having just knocked out Frances Tiafoe.

Ben Shelton praised Alcaraz’s movement on clay after their fourth round match at Roland Garros, the site of the Spaniard’s third of four Grand Slam titles so far.

Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images

Carlos Alcaraz apologises to French Open crowd after thrashing Tommy Paul

The ATP number two now has another French Open semi-final on his hands, and will soon turn his focus to his clash with Musetti.

Alcaraz did, however, take time to analyse his win over Paul, saying on court after the win: “It is always fun playing here in Paris.

READ MORE: Jannik Sinner admits what he finds ‘incredible’ about Carlos Alcaraz and explains why he struggles against him so much

“I have to say, I know you wanted to watch more tennis. I have to say sorry about it. I had to do my work but, once again, it’s great to play in front of all of you.

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“I feel great and the energy is amazing match after match. All I can say is thank you for coming and supporting tennis.”

Discussing his own display, the Spanish superstar noted: “I could close my eyes and everything went in. The feeling today was unbelievable. I was trying to hit every shot today at 100% no matter what it was.

“Not thinking about anything else, just hitting forehand and today was one of those matches where everything went in. I am pleased with everything.”

Carlos Alcaraz says what he thinks of Tommy Paul after knocking him out of the French Open

It was a simply stunning display from Alcaraz, who is now into the semi-finals in Paris for the third consecutive year.

He dropped just five games in a very one-sided match, taking his head-to-head record over Paul to 5-2 in the process.

READ MORE: Ben Shelton responds when asked how close he thinks he is to Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner now

Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images

An Alcaraz victory was perhaps expected given his form and ability on clay, and indeed the fact Paul had struggled with an abdominal injury earlier at the Grand Slam.

But such a convincing win will have shocked many, particularly those who had attended the venue in the hopes of witnessing a classic encounter.

Result Year Tournament Surface Opponent Score Win 2022 US Open Hard Casper Ruud 6-4, 2-6, 7-6(7-1), 6-3 Win 2023 Wimbledon Grass Novak Djokovic 1-6, 7-6(8-6), 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 Win 2024 French Open Clay Alexander Zverev 6-3, 2-6, 5-7, 6-1, 6-2 Win 2024 Wimbledon Grass Novak Djokovic 6-2, 6-2, 7-6(7-4) Carlos Alcaraz Grand Slam finals

Sharing his thoughts on Paul after the thrashing, Alcaraz said of the American: “We are in a quarter-final of Roland Garros and this kind of match is never easy.

“I have played against Tommy many times and every match was difficult. That helped me at the beginning of the match to focus on my tennis.

“I tried to step on the court really focused and trying not to go down or let him get into the match. I was trying to be focused throughout the whole match and I tried. But Tommy is an unbelievable player so that helped me a lot today.”

World number one Jannik Sinner will look to secure his spot in the French Open semi-finals against Alexander Bublik, while Novak Djokovic meets Alexander Zverev in the other quarter-final.

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