Wimbledon, quarter-finals, Tuesday, 09.07.2024, 15:15
He is the defending champion, the big favorite for the trophy, the man who wants to get back to the top of the world rankings – but also the one who has already had to fight one or two problems at Wimbledon!
Carlos Alcaraz will play his quarter-final on Tuesday, where he will face an opponent from the USA, against whom the score is 2:2. The odds? They still point to a win, of course. In my Alcaraz Paul tip, I’ll tell you why I’m expecting more than 3.5 sets
He’s the hunted, and he’s coping very well with this role so far! Carlos Alcaraz would like to defend his 2023 title at Wimbledon, but of course he knows that the really tough challenges await him now.
He started the third Grand Slam tournament of the year with a 7-6, 7-5, 6-2 win against Mark Lajal from Estonia, but found the first two sets unusually difficult. He then fared somewhat better against Aleksandar Vukic 7-6, 6-2, 6-2.
Frances Tiafoe was a real touchstone in the third round. The American is currently in a form crisis, but it’s not for nothing that he was knocking on the door of the top 10 a year ago.
So Alcaraz had to work really hard, winning in the end with a tight 5-7, 6-2, 4-6, 7-6, 6-2. It was striking in the first three rounds: It was always the first set that caused the defending champion problems.
However, the Spaniard finally moved away from this in the round of 16. Ugo Humbert gave the world number two quite a challenge, but Alcaraz was able to counter quickly at 6-3, 6-4, 1-6, 7-5 and finally put in a strong first set.
The pressure on the 21-year-old in the English capital is high, as everyone expects him to defend his title. And this despite the fact that he already failed in the round of 16 at the only preparatory tournament in Queens.
Last year, Alcaraz came up against Tommy Paul three times. While the American won the opening duel in 2022, the favorite then caught up and tied the score at 2:2.
Four tiebreaks, three times three sets? No question about it, these two really got down to business! For the current clash, our bookmakers naturally think Alcaraz is the stronger player again
The odds come to an average of 1.20 to 4.00. Speaking of odds, Alcaraz will probably be on the hunt for progression at the same time as the Spanish national soccer team.
Tommy Paul has reached the quarter-finals of Wimbledon for the first time ever, meaning he has already achieved his best result on the hallowed turf. Nobody really had him on their radar for the round of the top four.
After his third-round exit in Paris, the world number 13 was registered for three grass tournaments, at least that was the plan. While he failed early in Hertogenbosch, he was suddenly at the top in Queens
After this great success, he withdrew for Eastbourne. The 27-year-old got off to a relatively good start at Wimbledon with a 6-2, 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 win over Roberto Martinez, but the first thriller was not long in coming.
In round 2 against Otto Virtanen, progress was on a knife’s edge! 4-6, 6-3, 5-7, 7-5, 6-4, Paul won, but knew that the match could have turned at any time.
After all, he got off lightly a little later with a 6-2, 6-4, 6-2 win against Alexander Bublik. All the more pleasing: Paul didn’t drop a set in the round of 16 either, winning 6-2, 7-6, 6-2 against Roberto Bautista Agut.
So he has already sent one Spaniard home, now the second, of course much stronger, is to follow. On average, Paul wins more than 80% of his points on his first serve, and of course he has to maintain this rate against Alcaraz
My Alcaraz Paul tip
For many bookmakers, Carlos Alcaraz is the only one who can decide how quickly he will get rid of his opponents at Wimbledon. But: The Spaniard is by no means infallible, and has wobbled a few times in London.
Tommy Paul is by no means to be underestimated, he has clearly won the last two matches and has already beaten Alcaraz twice. That’s why I don’t think the favorite will be through in a flash, but I’m betting on it:
Three sets won’t be enough here!
