Alcaraz dominates Paul in quickest night session ever at French Open

Having witnessed his primary rival Jannik Sinner make a formidable start to the Roland-Garros fortnight by dismantling opponents, Carlos Alcaraz delivered his most emphatic response yet in the quarter-finals. The Spanish prodigy showed no mercy to Tommy Paul in the night session, crushing him with a decisive 6-0, 6-1, 6-4 victory that lasted a mere 1 hour and 34 minutes. This dominant display secures Alcaraz's spot in the semi-finals, where he is set to face Lorenzo Musetti in what will be their third meeting on clay this season, following encounters in Monte Carlo and Rome.

"I could have closed my eyes, and everything would still go in," Alcaraz remarked with satisfaction during his on-court interview with Mats Wilander after the match.

Alcaraz's performance was nothing short of spectacular. He was nearly flawless on serve, dropping only five points behind his first serve and not facing a single break point throughout the match. His return game was equally masterful, generating 17 break points and converting six of them. This comprehensive display vividly demonstrated the significant gap between the world's top two players and the rest of the field, a disparity that often becomes even more pronounced in Grand Slam tournaments. Tommy Paul struggled to find any rhythm, having to wait until the eighth game of the match (with the score at 6-0, 1-0) simply to get on the scoreboard.

Following earlier rounds where he had surprisingly dropped a set against Fabian Marozsan, Damir Dzumhur, and Ben Shelton, Alcaraz appeared determined to eliminate any lapses in focus that had occasionally marked his campaign. He was virtually unplayable in the first two sets, forcing his opponent, Paul, to take increasingly desperate risks with his shots in a futile attempt to respond.

The quickest night session ever at Roland-Garros

Despite Paul's efforts, they were, of course, insufficient to alter the match's trajectory. At 4-all in the final set, Alcaraz secured another crucial break, effectively wrapping up his masterclass on his own serve—though met with a few whistles from sections of the Philippe-Chatrier crowd. Historically, this match now stands as the shortest night session ever recorded at Roland-Garros since the introduction of "night matches" in 2021.

"My feeling today was incredible," Alcaraz reiterated. "I was trying to hit every shot at 100%, without thinking about anything else. It was one of those matches where everything went in. I’ve played Tommy several times, and every match has been very tough. He beat me twice. I tried not to let him get into the match.”

The road to the Roland-Garros final now sees Lorenzo Musetti as the next hurdle for Carlos Alcaraz. The Spaniard has already emerged victorious against Musetti twice this year on clay, in Monte Carlo and Rome. He also comprehensively defeated him in Paris two years ago. Given his current form and historical dominance in this matchup, Alcaraz undoubtedly enters the semi-final as the clear favorite.