PARIS: Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz dispatched an injury-hit Tommy Paul in straight sets — 6-0, 6-1, 6-4 — to reach the French Open semi-final here at Philippe-Chatrier on Tuesday.

Alcaraz has made it to the Roland Garros semifinals for the third consecutive time beating Paul who was playing with a heavily taped-up thigh due to injury.

Paul, who was suffering from leg and abdominal muscle issues during the tournament admitted that he was not moving well in the match.

“I’ve felt better, you know?. Obviously, I went into the match like, ‘I want to win the match.’ But pretty early on in the match, it was pretty obvious that I wasn’t moving amazing,” Paul said.

Alcaraz dominated Paul in the first two sets, while the latter gave the Spaniard a tough time in the third set by leading it 4-3, but the defending champion won the next three games to seal the deal.

Alcaraz reflected on his victory saying he felt great during the match and he was playing with a lot of confidence.

“Today was one of those days that you’re feeling great. You feel like every shot was going to be in, every shot was going to be a winner. You play with a lot of confidence. No fear of anything,” Alcaraz said.

Alcaraz will next face Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti on Friday, who defeated Frances Tiafoe 6-2, 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 to reach the semi-final of the four big clay-court tournaments in the same season.

Musetti has been in great form, as before the start of this season he had made it to the last four of only one major event, that was Wimbledon last year.

Source: Geo Super