Carlos Alcaraz will play Tommy Paul for a spot in the 2024 Wimbledon Championships semi-final.
The Spanish player is the defending champion at SW19, as he won the event last year by beating Novak Djokovic in an iconic final. He returned this year with a fairly solid level but was also shaky at times.
He already played a five-setter and barely avoided playing one more against Ugo Humbert. That's not an issue, but it's clear that Alcaraz slowed down because he didn't have a great Wimbledon preparation.
He played five matches before Wimbledon last year and entered the event far more confident than this year. Paul, on the other hand, had the ideal preparation for Wimbledon.
He won the Cinch Championships, and he's not slowing down. He's 10-1 on the grass this year so far, and while his draw at Wimbledon was pretty easy so far, the American cruised easily in all of those matches.
Another thing to consider about this matchup is Paul's affinity for beating Alcaraz. They have played four times so far in ATP Tour-level matches, and Paul has won twice, which is fairly impressive.
The American generally gives Alcaraz a lot of problems, which makes this match all the more interesting. All four of their matches were played on hard courts, and there aren't any particular trends to observe.
They generally play very close matches, and Paul is on a heater right now. He's a very steady player, so when he catches fire like this, it's hard to stop him.
| Carlos Alcaraz | Tommy Paul | |
| 2 | H2H | 2 |
| 3 | Rank | 13 |
| 21 | Age | 27 |
| 30-6 | 2024 W/L | 31-10 |
| 185-49 | Career W/L | 162-116 |
There is no doubt that Alcaraz is a better and more complete player. If they played 100 matches, the majority would be won by Alcaraz, but we might see an upset in this spot right here.
Paul proved his qualities against the Spaniard in the past, and his nine-match winning streak on grass also proves that he's capable of doing well on the low-bouncing green surface.
Prediction: Carlos Alcaraz to win in five sets.