In a stunning turn of events, World no.1, Carlos Alcaraz, was eliminated from the National Bank Open in Toronto, suffering a defeat to American tennis sensation, Tommy Paul. This marks the second consecutive year Alcaraz has been bested by Paul.
Heading into the match with a remarkable 14-game winning streak, Alcaraz showcased his resilience, battling back after conceding the initial set 6-3. He retaliated with a fierce 6-4 win in the subsequent set. Nevertheless, Paul's supremacy at the net was undeniable, securing an astounding 21 of the 23 possible points. This dominance led him to clinch the final set 6-3, paving his way to the semi-finals.
Sharing his elation, Paul said, “I played a really good match today. You can’t start any points on your heels against him or he’ll take advantage of that. So you really have to go after your shots early in the rally and I was feeling really good on the first-strike tennis. That was the difference today.”
Meanwhile, another unexpected outcome emerged when Alex De Minaur defeated the world's third-ranked, Daniil Medvedev. In a nail-biting face-off, De Minaur pulled off a victory in straight sets, concluding the match 7-6 (7) 7-5 after a strenuous two hours and two minutes.
Rallying from 2-5 in the opening set, the Australian seized the tie-break and overturned a deficit twice in the subsequent set to cinch the match. Reflecting on his triumphant performance, De Minaur stated, "I had to play some of my best tennis today, it has been a great week for me so far,” he said after the match.
“I played the right way today. I think having played him at the end of last year gave me the confidence that I had a chance. I just had to play the right way and I am extremely proud of the effort and to still be alive,” he added.
With this remarkable win, De Minaur has secured his debut in a Masters 1000 semi-final. He's set to challenge Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in a gripping face-off this Saturday. Notably, Davidovich Fokina clinched his semi-finals spot by overcoming Mackenzie McDonald with a scoreline of 6-4 6-2.
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