Carlos Alcaraz praises Tommy Paul after hard-fought victory at Vienna Open

The world No 3 defeated the American 6-4, 7-6(2) to set up a last-four clash with Daniil Medvedev at the ATP 500 tournament in Austria.

Alcaraz secured the only break of a tight opening set in the seventh game before holding firm under pressure in the second.

The Spaniard saved all five break points he faced, including two in the second set, before dominating the tie-break to complete his seventh consecutive victory over Paul.

The win extended Alcaraz's head-to-head advantage over the world No 14 to 8-2, but the seven-time Grand Slam champion was also full of praise for his opponent after the match.

Speaking in an on-court interview with Tennis TV, Alcaraz said he thoroughly enjoyed their contest and praised Paul's style of play.

"Well, I think everybody could see the points we played today. Great rallies, great points, great shots from both of us," Alcaraz said.

"I'm really happy and I really enjoy these kind of matches. I'm a huge fan of Tommy, to be honest. His style, I love the way he plays, and I love watching him play.

"So for me, playing against him is always a pleasure. So today, I just hope that everybody could enjoy this match - so did I."

Alcaraz was also candid about his own performance, admitting he had not felt as confident as he did during his previous-round win over Nikoloz Basilashvili.

"Obviously really happy with the performance that I did today. I think I played a great tennis," said the reigning Australian Open champion.

"Probably not as confident as yesterday, for example, in terms of hitting from the baseline.

"But I would say overall, just happy for the battle. Happy that I just found my way and finally get the win in straight sets."

Alcaraz will face world No 5 Medvedev in Saturday's semi-finals. The Spaniard holds a 6-3 head-to-head advantage over the Russian. 

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