Paris Olympics: Carlos Alcaraz storms into quarter-finals after beating Roman Safiullin

PARIS: Star Spanish tennis player Carlos Alcaraz stormed into the quarter-finals after beating Roman Safiullin 6-4, 6-2 at the ongoing Paris Olympics.

The Spaniard hit 21 winners, several deft drop shots, and sealed the game in straight sets. The match lasted 90 minutes.

Carlos Alcaraz will take on Tommy Paul of United States of America in his upcoming quarter-final clash.

Tommy Paul defeated France's Corentin Moutet 7-6(6), 6-3 to book his berth against Alcaraz. Earlier, in the recently concluded Wimbledon 2024, Alcaraz had sealed a win over Paul.

Meanwhile, the US pair Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram ended Spanish stars Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal's hopes of a gold medal in the men's doubles event at the Olympics at Philippe Chatrier Court.

In the quarter-finals, Alcaraz and Nadal were outplayed by the US pair in straight sets 6-2, 6-4.

Krajicek and Ram looked well set against the star Spanish duo. They controlled the rallies and lured Alcaraz and Nadal to make uncharacteristic errors in the early stages of the game.

The American duo wrapped up the first set by dominating the Spanish stars in front of a jam-packed crowd that stood behind Alcaraz and Nadal.

Expectations of a comeback were always on the cards, with Nadal and Alcaraz on the field. The second set began with both pairs fighting hard for each point and trying to kill the momentum by attempting to break each other's serve.

However, the American pair earned rewards for the consistency that they showed throughout the match. Alcaraz's serve was broken at 3-3, and the outcome of the clash was written on the wall for the Spanish duo.

At 5-4, a couple of errors almost allowed the Spanish duo to make a comeback. However, they kept their calm and fended off three break points. Krajiceka aced Alcaraz to cap off an impressive display by the American duo.