Alcaraz gets payback by overcoming Paul in exhilarating match, moves on to Cincinnati Open quarterfinals.

Carlos Alcaraz defeated Tommy Paul in an intriguing match at the Western & Southern Open with a score of 7-6(6), 6-7(0).

The world No. 1 began the tournament with a bye and directly entered the second round. He faced a tough challenge against Jordan Thompson, eventually winning 7-5, 4-6, 6-3.

Alcaraz's last match before the Cincinnati Open was against the American Paul, who surprised him in the quarterfinals of the Canadian Open last week with a score of 6-3, 4-6, 6-3.

Despite Paul's strong performance in Toronto, he couldn't overcome Jannik Sinner in the next match, losing 6-4, 6-4 and allowing Sinner to advance to the final. This time, Paul defeated Miomir Kecmanovic and Ugo Humbert to set up a clash with Alcaraz in the third round.

Coming into the match, Paul held a 2-1 advantage in their head-to-head record, making this their fourth encounter in Masters 1000 tournaments.

In the first set, Alcaraz was the first to give up a break to his opponent in the sixth game, allowing Paul to take a 5-2 lead with his serve. However, the world No. 1 didn't falter and won three consecutive games to level the score at 5-5.

With the score tied at 5-5, Paul faced three break points against him at 0-40, but managed to save them. Alcaraz then comfortably held his service to take the set to a tie-break. Both players held their serves to keep the tie-break even until 6-6, but Alcaraz secured a mini-break and took the set 7-6(6).

The second set had more fluctuations in service for both players. Paul achieved the first break in the third game, but Alcaraz quickly responded to level the score. The same scenario occurred in the seventh game: the world No. 12 secured a break, but the Spanish player swiftly broke back on his fourth opportunity in the game.

Paul intensified the tension by breaking to go up 5-4 and serve for the set. Just like before, Alcaraz mounted a comeback and secured another break. Alcaraz held his service to take a 6-5 lead, and in an incredible over 15-minute service game by the American, he extended the set to another tie-break. With an impeccable performance, Paul secured the 7-0 tie-break and extended the uncertainty.

The final set was a battle of nerves between both players. In the first game, the 2-time Grand Slam champion claimed a break that gave him a partial advantage. At 3-2 in favor of Alcaraz, the game was halted for three minutes due to a light drizzle, and upon resumption, both players held their service.

At 4-3, 15-15, play in Cincinnati was once again halted due to rain, and after a pause of an hour and a half, they resumed the match. Another rain delay sent the players to the locker room with the score at 5-3, 15-15 in favor of Alcaraz.

The match resumed with Paul's service, and the Spaniard quickly secured the break that gave him the victory 7-6(6), 6-7(0), 6-3.

In the quarterfinals, Alcaraz will play against Max Purcell, who came through the qualifying rounds and eliminated Lloyd Harris, the 5th seed Casper Ruud and Stan Wawrina. The 25-year-old tennis player ensured his entry into the top 50 for the first time in his career and his first quarterfinals of a Masters 1000 tournament.