Paul on his match against Alcaraz: "I will bring my best tennis, I'll need it"

Tommy Paul stands as the great test for Carlos Alcaraz and his aspirations to reach glory at the US Open 2026. The Spaniard is aware that he will need to step up his game to defeat a player with enough weapons to unsettle him significantly. After defeating Bublik, the American addressed what it means to face Alcaraz at Flushing Meadows. 

The moment of truth has arrived for Carlos Alcaraz. Since the draw for the US Open 2026 was made, all eyes have been on this round of 16 as a turning point where it will be determined if the Murcian is ready to fight for the title or still needs time to reach higher levels of success. Tommy Paul has already proven to be a latent danger to Carlos's game and spoke about it in a press conference.

Who is Tommy Paul and how does he play? Why is he dangerous for Alcaraz?

It is worth noting that the Californian is having a very solid year. Champion in Houston, finalist in Queen’s, Hamburg and Delray Beach, and quarterfinalist in the Masters 1000 in Cincinnati and Miami, he has a record of 39 wins and 16 losses, and in the Grand Slams, he has met the minimum expectations for a player of his caliber, losing to Alcaraz in Australia, to Ruud at Roland Garros, and to Hurkacz on grass. 

He wants to take a step further on his home soil, at a US Open where he has a chip on his shoulder as it is the only Grand Slam where he has never reached the quarterfinals. He knows that to explore his limits in this edition he will have to surpass a Carlos Alcaraz whose feelings are very positive. For his part, Paul comes from victories over Wong and Prizmic in four sets, and over Bublik in five.

The US Open is the only Grand Slam where Tommy Paul has not reached the quarterfinals and where he has not faced Alcaraz

"It's crazy to play against Carlos again. I would say he is the player I have faced the most on the tour. We've had great battles, but he's also given me a beating. Both he and Sinner are the great dominators and the big test for the rest. I am going to give my best, I want to bring out my best tennis because I know I will need it to beat him," the Californian explained.

Very skilled with his hands in defense and mid-court play, tremendously fast in lateral movements, with no holes in his strokes and with sublime tactical vision, Tommy Paul knows he has specific characteristics that can trouble Alcaraz. The main one is his ability to take the ball very early, taking time away from Carlos, not losing ground on the court, and striking with power and depth time and again, forcing the Spaniard to respond in kind.

Alcaraz leads the head-to-head against Paul 6-2, having won the last 5 matches

Both victories followed that pattern in the two encounters where the American emerged victorious, both at the Masters 1000 in Canada, in 2022 and 2023. At that time, I considered him the great kryptonite for the Murcian, but that myth has been broken with the five consecutive victories that Alcaraz has strung together in their head-to-head, the most recent this year in Melbourne.

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In any case, only one of those matches was resolved very comfortably by Carlos, who needs great inspiration in his shots and tactical clarity to escape the trap that Paul sets when facing him. The humidity conditions at the US Open can make the match very demanding physically and resolved by small nuances.

"I refuse to step onto a court thinking that I can't win against any opponent. I always come out with the mentality that I have what it takes to win. I suppose we will play at Arthur Ashe Stadium and maybe it will be in the night session. I know the people love it in New York, but I hope they cheer for me," explained a very excited Tommy Paul about the opportunity to make a lethal strike at this US Open 2026 by defying all predictions.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Paul, sobre su duelo con Alcaraz: "Voy a sacar mi mejor tenis, lo necesitaré"