Tommy Paul Prepares for Rematch Against Carlos Alcaraz at US Open

Tommy Paul will face Carlos Alcaraz in a Grand Slam match, marking their fourth encounter. Alcaraz, the second seed, previously defeated Paul in the fourth round of the Australian Open in January. Paul described their matches as competitive, despite a significant loss at the French Open. "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," said Paul, who is seeded 20th. After defeating No. 15 Alexander Bublik with scores of 6-4, 3-6, 6-7 (4), 6-1, 6-3, Paul acknowledged the challenge ahead. "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." Recently, Paul also achieved a victory over top seed Alexander Zverev at the Cincinnati Open. "It helps, but at the same time, I like to think of myself as somebody who always thinks I can beat those players," he added. In other matches, third-seeded American Jessica Pegula faced No. 31 Leylah Fernandez and came back from a set down to win 1-6, 6-4, 6-3. Pegula noted her slow start but managed to save eight of nine break points in the final two sets. She will next compete against Romanian Sorana Cirstea in the fourth round. Unseeded American Alex Michelsen won against Daniel Merida Aguilar with scores of 7-6 (5), 6-4, 6-3, advancing to face No. 27 Tomás Martín Etcheverry in the Round of 16 on Sunday.