Tommy Paul is looking forward to his rematch against reigning US Open champion Carlos Alcaraz, seeking revenge for a previous loss in the Australian Open's fourth round. Paul has already had success at this year's tournament, having knocked out top seed Alexander Zverev in Cincinnati just weeks ago. He faces Alcaraz for the fourth time, with the American hoping to break through in their next matchup. The two will meet again in a Grand Slam event for the first time since January.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-05,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event.
Why this leaning score
This article does not take a side on a contested political
question, so it has no leaning score. That is an
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No political leaning scored for article 4413 · logged 2026-09-05
Tommy Paul will get another crack at Carlos Alcaraz in a Grand Slam.
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Paul → get → Slam
He’s hoping for a breakthrough in his fourth such matchup against the reigning U.S. Open champion.
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He → hop → 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.
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it → knock → January
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.
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Paul → mean → Bublik
“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.
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we → play → 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.
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I → mean → best
Only a few weeks ago, Paul knocked off Alexander Zverev, the top seed here, in the Cincinnati Open.
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Paul → knock → Open
He’s certainly capable.
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He → ’ → ?
“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.
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Paul → help → players
“I mean, I don’t like to step on the court not thinking I can win.
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I → mean → court
So I try to always go out there like that.
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I → try → that
Third-seeded American Jessica Pegula faced adversity for the first time of the tournament.
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Pegula → seed → 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.
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She → drop → Stadium
“That’s pretty much the summary right there: slow start, strong finish,” Pegula said.
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Pegula → ’ → ?
“I mean, the [first] set I played today, I can’t honestly be that much worse.
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I → mean → ?
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.”
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I → go → serve
Pegula saved eight of nine break points in the final two sets, and advanced to meet Romanian Sorana Cirstea in the fourth round.
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Pegula → save → 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.
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Michelsen → cruise → Open
He will face No. 27 Tomás Martín Etcheverry in the Round of 16 on Sunday.
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He → face → Sunday