World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz has been knocked out of the Canadian Open 2023 by 12th seed Tommy Paul 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 in the quarterfinals. The American repeated what he did last year, taking out Alcaraz in three, who was the favourite in 2022 as well. This loss means that the Spaniard’s preparations for the US Open 2023 have been cut short as he moves to the Cincinnati Masters.
For the third consecutive match at the Canadian Open 2023, the Spaniard got off to a sluggish start. The 20-year-old fell behind early, double faulting to hand Paul the first set.
Alcaraz upped his game in the second set. He hit a sensational tweener for a winner to level at 3-3. The momentum then turned in his favour as he broke at love for a 4-3 lead the next game en route to levelling the contest, 1-1.
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But Paul took control in the decider. He smoked a backhand at the charging Alcaraz that he could not put back in play for a break and pounced on a poorly executed drop shot from Alcaraz on match point to dismiss the top seed at the Canadian Open 2023.
The 26-year-old Paul will rise to a career-high ranking of at least 12 on Monday. The American will face Italy’s Jannik Sinner in the semifinals.
Alcaraz, the newly crowned Wimbledon champion, is preparing for his US Open title defence. He currently leads the tour with six victories and 49 match victories against only five losses.
“He’s really tough on every surface,” Alcaraz said after his loss in the Canadian Open 2023 quarterfinal. “I mean, he’s a mix of everything. It makes him really, really tough.”
The US Open 2023 starts on August 28.
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