Tommy Paul will get another crack at Carlos Alcaraz in a Grand Slam.
He’s hoping for a breakthrough in his fourth such matchup against the reigning U.S. Open champion.
Alcaraz, the second seed, knocked off the American in the fourth round of the Australian Open in January, and while it was straight sets, it was competitive.
“We’ve had some good matches — one really, really bad beatdown at the French Open. But, I mean, he’s the best, him and [Jannik] Sinner,” the 20th-seeded Paul said after beating No. 15 Alexander Bublik 6-4, 3-6, 6-7 (4), 6-1, 6-3. “They have been playing great, and I guess Carlos we haven’t really seen too much [due to injury], but obviously doing pretty well coming right back to competition.
“I mean, I’m going to have to play some pretty good tennis if I want to win that match, but I’m going to do my best. Hopefully I can.”
Only a few weeks ago, Paul knocked off Alexander Zverev, the top seed here, in the Cincinnati Open. He’s certainly capable.
“It helps, but at the same time, I like to think of myself as somebody who always thinks I can beat those players,” Paul said. “I mean, I don’t like to step on the court not thinking I can win. So I try to always go out there like that.
Third-seeded American Jessica Pegula faced adversity for the first time of the tournament. She dropped the first set in decisive fashion to No. 31 Leylah Fernandez of Canada, but rallied for a 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 win at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
“That’s pretty much the summary right there: slow start, strong finish,” Pegula said. “I mean, the [first] set I played today, I can’t honestly be that much worse. It was pretty not great on all those stats and everything. So I was, like, ‘It can’t be that much worse, I’m going to have to kind of find something here,’ and I think I always tell myself just to try and hang on to my serve.”
Pegula saved eight of nine break points in the final two sets, and advanced to meet Romanian Sorana Cirstea in the fourth round.
Unseeded American Alex Michelsen cruised past Daniel Merida Aguilar 7-6 (5), 6-4, 6-3 to advance into the fourth round of the U.S. Open.
He will face No. 27 Tomás Martín Etcheverry in the Round of 16 on Sunday.
