Alcaraz beats Paul to set up Vienna semifinal with Medvedev

Carlos Alcaraz defeated Tommy Paul 6-4, 7-6(2) in the Vienna quarterfinals on Friday, October 30, advancing to a semifinal against Daniil Medvedev. The Spaniard won a close first set and prevailed in a second-set tiebreak to secure the straight-sets victory at the ATP 500 tournament. Alcaraz saved all five break points he faced, according to match coverage, including two in the second set. He took the only break of serve in the opening set, then won the tiebreak 7-2. The result extended his winning streak against Paul to seven matches and gave him an 8-2 lead in their head-to-head record. After the match, Alcaraz said he was pleased with his performance but felt less confident hitting from the baseline than he had in the previous round. He described the match as a battle and said he was happy to have found a way to win in straight sets. His assessment was a personal view of his game, rather than an independent measure of his performance. Alcaraz also praised Paul’s playing style and said he enjoyed their rallies and the contest. Paul, the seventh seed, had reached the quarterfinals after wins over Andrey Rublev and Luciano Darderi. Alcaraz said he hoped spectators enjoyed the...