For the second year in a row, we'll get Carlos Alcaraz against Tommy Paul at the Canadian Open but who will win this time?
Last year it was Tommy Paul who produced a pretty strong effort stunning Alcaraz at the event but this year things are expected to go vastly differently. Mostly because Alcaraz has been so good this year, but even at this level, the Spaniard still showed some vulnerability in Toronto.
He was almost beaten by Hubert Hurkacz in the previous round but managed to win in three sets. Things don't look that much easier against Paul because the American has a devastating baseline game that can hurt anyone on his day.
He's been pretty good so far with a couple of good wins and having beaten Alcaraz before should give him some confidence. It remains to be seen whether he can really produce another effort like the one he had last year, though.
Head-to-head:
Alcaraz and Paul met twice, with each player winning one match. Paul won the one in Montreal last year in three sets but Alcaraz won the one in Miami this year. It was a pretty simple 6-4 6-4 win and he'd take another one like that gladly.
Prediction:
As you might imagine, Alcaraz is the heavy favourite in this one simply because he plays quite similarly to Paul but with far more consistency and better control. Theoretically, he should easily outplay the American as he does everything Paul does equally well or even better.
The serve will be a factor for both players and don't be surprised if this features tiebreaks because the one last year featured two of them. Both players are hard to break if the serve is working well because they're so aggressive and strong from the baseline.
Prediction: Carlos Alcaraz to win in two sets.
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