ATP Tour

Alcaraz downs Paul, sets Vienna SF with Medvedev

Carlos Alcaraz is a semi-finalist once again at the Erste Bank Open.

The No. 3 player in the PIF ATP Rankings ground down Tommy Paul for a 6-4, 7-6(2) victory on Friday afternoon to equal his run from his 2021 debut at the indoor hard-court event in Vienna. Alcaraz, who is competing as the second seed in the Austrian capital behind Alexander Zverev, edged Paul across two tight sets for a one-hour, 50-minute quarter-final triumph.

Alcaraz has now pulled through three tough matches in straight sets in Vienna, where he overcame former Top-10 star Karen Khachanov and the in-form Nikoloz Basilashvili in his first two matches. On Friday, the Spaniard fended off all five break points he faced, according to Infosys ATP Stats, for his eighth victory in 10 Lexus ATP Head2Head meetings with seventh seed Paul. He will take on Daniil Medvedev in Saturday's semi-finals.

“I think everybody could see the points we played today. Great rallies, great points, great shots from both of us,” Alcaraz said. “I’m really happy and I really enjoy these kinds of matches. I’m a huge fan of Tommy, to be honest. His style, and I love the way he plays and love watching him play. So for me, playing against him is always a pleasure.

“Today I just hope everybody could enjoy this match. I did, and I’m obviously really happy with the performance that I gave today. I think I played great tennis… I would say overall just happy for the battle and happy I found my way to get the win in straight sets.”

Alcaraz has won his past 24 matches at ATP 500 tournaments, with 14 of those victories coming in 2026 (including title runs in Doha and Tokyo). He will seek to extend his unbeaten streak at this level when he takes on his fellow ATP No. 1 Club member Medvedev for a championship-match berth in Vienna.

The 30-year-old Medvedev, the 2022 champion in Vienna, defeated qualifier Adrian Mannarino 6-2, 6-3 to reach the semi-finals and simultaneously seal his qualification for the Nitto ATP Finals. Alcaraz holds a 6-3 Lexus ATP Head2Head series lead over Medvedev, but he lost the pair’s only meeting so far this season in the Indian Well semi-finals.

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Friday’s defeat was a blow for Paul’s outside hopes of joining Alcaraz in qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals. The American, who is chasing a debut at the prestigious season final at the age of 29, is 13th in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, is 434 points behind ninth-placed Rafael Jodar, who currently occupies the final qualification spot. Paul will need to forge a deep run at next week’s Rolex Paris Masters to give himself a chance of reaching Turin.