Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz stormed into the French Open semi-finals on June 3 with a commanding 6-0, 6-1, 6-4 victory over American 12th seed Tommy Paul — a performance he credited in part to inspiration from world No. 1 and rival Jannik Sinner.
Alcaraz needed just 94 minutes to dismantle Paul, putting on a dazzling display of aggressive, high-precision tennis that saw him dominate the first two sets in under an hour. His victory sets up a semi-final showdown with Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti.
The win came a day after Sinner cruised past Andrey Rublev, continuing his stellar form in Paris. Alcaraz, who watched the match on his day off, admitted that Sinner’s intensity served as motivation.
“I love watching matches when I’m not playing, and honestly, Jannik inspires me,” Alcaraz said. “You see how focused he is throughout the match, and how that helps him conserve energy and recover better. I try to do the same.”
Alcaraz and Musetti have already met twice this season — in the Monte Carlo final and the Rome semi-final — with the Spaniard winning both encounters. But Alcaraz knows the Paris rematch won’t come easy.
“It’s going to be a beautiful battle,” he said. “We’re both playing high-level tennis, and we’ve had great matches recently. The fans are in for a treat. I need to be ready for a big fight.”
