Carlos Alcaraz Dominates Tommy Paul with Astounding Forehand

Carlos Alcaraz walked back into New York after four months out with a damaged right wrist and promptly reminded the US Open why it missed him. Four matches in, one set dropped, and on Sunday night at Arthur Ashe Stadium he swept past Tommy Paul 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 to reach the quarterfinals.

He didn’t just win. He overwhelmed.

A Statement Win After Months on the Shelf

Alcaraz arrived at Flushing Meadows with questions hanging over him. He had not played a tour event since the Barcelona Open in April, his wrist injury forcing him to the sidelines while the rest of the locker room chased ranking points and rhythm.

You wouldn’t know it from the way he’s tearing through this draw.

Across his opening four rounds, the second seed has been close to untouchable, swatting aside opponents with the kind of authority that makes a hard-court major feel like his natural stage. Paul, ranked No. 21 in the world and buoyed by a recent win over Alexander Zverev in Cincinnati, was supposed to pose a genuine test.

Instead, he became the latest witness to the full force of Alcaraz’s forehand.

‘That Racket’s Juiced’

After the two-hour, 20-minute contest, Paul’s veteran coach Brad Stine spoke on Tennis Channel and abandoned the usual coach-speak. No talk of patterns, no breakdown of percentages. Just disbelief at the violence coming off Alcaraz’s strings.

“Carlos’s forehand was absolutely astounding,” Stine said, before leaning into a joke that carried a hint of awe. “I actually said yesterday to a couple of people. I want to have them do drug testing on that racket.

“I think there’s something. I think that racket’s juiced. It’s got to be juiced. It can’t be him, can it? Because every time he touches the ball with that racket, it just goes. It comes off like a cannon.”

On Sunday, that “cannon” dictated everything. Alcaraz bullied Paul from the baseline, taking time away, pinning him behind the court, and turning neutral rallies into highlight reels. For long stretches, the American could only watch as the ball exploded past him.

A Rivalry Tilted One Way

Paul did not come into this match intimidated. His Cincinnati win over Zverev had sharpened his confidence, and he knows Alcaraz’s game as well as almost anyone on tour. Before they stepped on court, he reflected on their growing history.

“I think I've played him more than anybody on tour, for me, which is kind of crazy,” Paul said. “But yeah, we've had some good matches. One really bad beatdown at the French Open. But he's the test. Him and Sinner; they've been playing great.”

The numbers back up that sense of a personal measuring stick. Sunday marked their ninth career meeting. Alcaraz now leads the head-to-head 7-2, adding this US Open victory to wins across every surface and stage. Their last encounter before New York came in the fourth round of the 2026 Australian Open, where Alcaraz also rolled through in straight sets en route to the title.

This latest result carried an extra piece of history. By beating Paul in New York, Alcaraz has now defeated the American at all four Grand Slam tournaments, becoming just the 10th man in the Open Era to beat the same opponent at each of the four majors. It’s a quirky stat, but it underlines how often their paths cross — and how often Alcaraz has had the final say.

Defending Champion, New Threat

For all the jokes about his racket, the more serious message from this second week is clear: the defending champion is back in full roar.

Four months out, one vulnerable wrist, zero tune-up events since April — none of it shows. His movement looks sharp, his timing pristine, his competitive edge undimmed. That lone set dropped across four matches feels less like a blemish and more like a reminder that even when pushed, he finds a way to surge again.

Next up is another American, Ben Shelton, under the lights of Arthur Ashe. Their quarterfinal is slated for Tuesday, September 8, in the night session at 7:00 p.m. ET, a stage built for big serves, bigger personalities, and the kind of shot-making Alcaraz has been serving up all week.

Shelton will bring power, swagger, and a crowd desperate for a home hope in the latter stages.

Alcaraz will bring that forehand. The same one that has rival coaches half-joking about racket tests and opponents wondering how, exactly, you stop a ball that keeps leaving the strings like a cannon.