London : The defending champion Carlos Alcaraz defeated United States Tommy Paul 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 and 6-2 in the quarterfinals on Tuesday to enter the semifinal of the ongoing Wimbledon 2024.
The former World No 1 will now face Russia's Daniil Medvedev which will be a rematch of last year's Wimbledon semifinal where Alcaraz edged past him and went on to win the title.
Coming to the clash against Paul, the Spainaired struggled and lost the first set 5-7. But in the next set, he bounced back to win that set 6-4.
From there on, the 21-year-old didn't look back and went on to win the third and final set of the game 6-2, 6-2 to fix a meeting against Medvedev who defeated the current World No 1 Italy's Janik Sinner 6-7(7), 6-4, 7-6(4), 2-6, 6-3 in a five-set thrilling quarterfinal.
The Spanish Tennis player spoke about his opponent Tommy Paul. He asserted that the US player had a great season on grass and he is the Queen's champion here.
"He's had a great season on grass, he's the Queen's champion and was playing well here. Today was a difficult match for me. The first set and the start of the second was like playing on clay, long rallies, 10-15 shots. When I lost the first set it was difficult for me but I knew it was a long journey. I'm glad I found the solutions," Alcaraz said in an interview after the match.
The Spanish international further stated that he always believed that he could make a comeback despite losing the first set. He further said that he tried to find solutions during the game.
"I always believe I can come back. If I'm struggling I believe I can find solutions. At grand slams, I have more time to recover. I believe in myself all the time," the Wimbledon 2024 semifinalist added.