Tommy Paul is a fantastic player to follow, a seemingly very nice guy who offers good athleticism and great conversation. He isn't the best American of his generation, but he is among the better ones. Mostly, he is the kind of person you want to root for, but ultimately believe he doesn't have the skill set to win a Grand Slam.
Carlos Alcaraz might also be a fantastic guy, but as opposed to Paul, Alcaraz, even at 80 percent, can probably win a major. If he is in top form, Paul isn't going to beat him at the most important tournaments. Not that the American can't put up a fight, but he isn't likely to win.
Elite players also have a way of elevating their game at the most important parts of matches. In the first set of the 2026 US Open match between Paul and Alcaraz, for instance, each player held serve, and the American was definitely playing well, but at 4-5 with Paul serving, Alcaraz got the easy break and the set along with it.
Carlos Alcaraz takes care of business against Tommy Paul at the US Open
Feeding off the first-set victory and smelling the proverbial blood in the tennis waters, Alcaraz got a break in the second game to take a 2-0 lead. Paul stunningly broke right back, but then so did Alcaraz. His topspin simply overpowered the American, who does offer power, but the ball is flatter and easier to deal with.
Paul kept battling, but his ceiling is far lower than Alcaraz's, whose ability to defend is immense. He is the cheat code that tennis video game players wish they had but never will. The irony is that the Spaniard's reality is dream-like for most humans who ever picked up a racket. He makes easy what others toil a lifetime trying to perfect.
Alcaraz eventually took the second set 6-3, and when he has a two-set lead, he simply doesn't lose. He is now 61-0 when leading by two sets, and that is beyond astonishing. Clearly, there is no accident in his success. He is like a boa constrictor that senses its prey has little hope and never lets up.
In the third set, with Paul serving at 1-all on a break point, Alcaraz hit a ridiculous net shot to win the game. He did so with ease, proving his immense skill isn't just something he has to work at but something he was born with. Most players aren't so lucky.
Paul would keep holding, but the damage was done. He proved himself worthy of rotting for, but Alcaraz was simply better. The Spaniard took the third set 6-4 and made one more step toward likely reaching the final.
Carlos Alcaraz will next face the winner of the match between Ben Shelton and Stefanos Tsitsipas. No matter who wins that match, tennis fans will want to be glued to the quarterfinals of the 2026 US Open.
