No. 2 seed Carlos Alcaraz moved into the US Open quarterfinals with a clean 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 win over No. 20 seed Tommy Paul at Arthur Ashe Stadium. The Spaniard won 99 total points to Paul’s 74 and controlled key moments across all three sets. He was the more reliable server when it mattered and the more damaging returner throughout. Each set hovered around 45 to 48 minutes, for a total of roughly 2 hours and 21 minutes of hard-court tennis in New York. For full points, games and set-by-set numbers, you can revisit the match center on Sofascore.

This Round of 16 tie in the US Open, Men draw highlighted the gap in first-strike efficiency. Alcaraz finished with 33 winners and kept his total errors to 24, while Paul hit 15 winners and 34 total errors. The scoreline was straight sets, but the story was in the details.

Serve numbers gave Alcaraz a platform

Alcaraz landed 56 of 84 first serves for 67% and won 75% of those points. Paul’s first-serve percentage sat at 54% and he captured 63% behind it. The second delivery told a different tale: Paul put 40 of 41 second serves in play, yet won only 49% of those points. Alcaraz’s second serve was more profitable at 64% points won, even with a lower volume. That blend of accuracy and effectiveness kept the No. 2 seed in front in most service games.

Across the match, Alcaraz won 60 service points to Paul’s 50 and held 14 of his 15 service games. Paul held 10 of 14. The American actually finished with more aces, 4 to 3, and fewer double faults, 1 to 2, but couldn’t turn those into sustained holds. Under pressure, Alcaraz faced only four break points and saved three. Paul stared down fourteen break points and saved ten. Over three sets, that difference was decisive on the scoreboard.

Return pressure told the bigger story

Alcaraz won 39 points on return, a healthy edge over Paul’s 24. He took 37% of points against Paul’s first serve and 51% against the second. Paul managed 25% and 35% in the same categories. Those gaps created a steady stream of looks on the Paul serve, and they paid off with four breaks of serve in total. Paul converted just one break across the entire match.

The return trendline was visible in games, too. Alcaraz played 14 return games and cracked four of them, while Paul played 15 return games and broke once. The Spaniard pieced together the only extended momentum run, winning a maximum of four games in a row. Paul’s best streak was one. Add the fact that Alcaraz won both the service and return point totals, and the 3-0 sets outcome reads less like a sprint and more like steady control.

Shotmaking vs. mistakes at the baseline and net

Alcaraz’s 33 winners doubled Paul’s 15, and the forehand was the headline weapon at 23 winners to Paul’s 9. On the backhand wing, Alcaraz led 4 to 1 in winners and stayed confident stepping in. At the net, the Spaniard added 7 volley winners to Paul’s 4, and he topped the groundstroke winners count 20 to 6. Overhead winners finished 3 to 1 in Alcaraz’s favor, with no overhead errors from either player. The aggregate paints a simple picture: Alcaraz created more damage from more places on the court.

Errors still played a role, and the split is interesting. Total errors were 24 for Alcaraz and 34 for Paul. Unforced errors, though, were level at 32 each, which makes Alcaraz’s winner count even more valuable. Paul produced 17 forehand unforced errors compared with Alcaraz’s 10, while Alcaraz posted 20 backhand unforced errors to Paul’s 14. Groundstroke errors skewed toward the American at 33 to 23 overall and 31 to 29 on the unforced side. When the rallies extended, the better ratio of winners to mistakes belonged to the world No. 2.

Set by set: how 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 came together

First set, 6-4 Alcaraz: both players started hot on first serves, with Paul at 71% and Alcaraz at 72%. The return edge decided it. Alcaraz won 50% of points against the Paul first serve in the set and 22% against the second. Paul, by contrast, took 33% against first serves and 12% against seconds. Alcaraz converted his lone break chance, Paul went 0 of 2, and the Spanish star pocketed the opener despite Paul’s 2 to 0 lead in aces.

Second set, 6-3 Alcaraz: the serve and return gap widened. Paul’s first-serve percentage dipped to 55% and his second-serve points won collapsed to 23%. Alcaraz jumped all over the second delivery, winning 10 of 13 return points there for 76%. The set still featured resistance, with Paul saving 6 of 8 break points and even grabbing one break of his own. But Alcaraz converted two breaks, kept his own service steady at 65% first-serve points and 75% second-serve points, and moved two sets clear.

Third set, 6-4 Alcaraz: Paul steadied his second serve, winning 70% of those points and landing 100% of second deliveries. The problem was at the other end, where Alcaraz won a massive 85% of first-serve points and never blinked on break points. He saved both he faced, while Paul saved 3 of 4 but couldn’t dodge the single break that swung the set. Aces were 1 apiece, no double faults. After roughly 48 minutes in the decider, Alcaraz closed out the match and his spot in the last eight.

If you want to dive deeper into every stat from forehand winners to break-point chains, the full breakdown is on the Sofascore match page. You can also track the updated bracket and results for the US Open, Men on Sofascore throughout the tournament.