London, July 11 (V7N) - Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz overcame a sluggish start to defeat Tommy Paul in four sets on Tuesday, securing his place in the Wimbledon semifinals.

Alcaraz, who dropped the first set to the American No. 12 seed on Court No. 1, mounted a comeback to win 5-7 6-4 6-2 6-2 in southwest London.

“At the beginning, the first set and the beginning of the second set, it kind of felt like I was playing on clay. Big rallies, 10 to 15 shots every point,” Alcaraz said in his on-court interview afterwards. “So I had to stay strong mentally when I lost the first set. It was difficult for me a little bit, but I knew it was a long journey, a long match, and I just had to stay there. I’m really happy to find the solutions and the good path.”

Alcaraz is set to face No. 5 seed Daniil Medvedev in the semifinals, a rematch of their semifinal clash from last year's tournament.

Paul, who had shown excellent grass-court form by winning at Queen’s – a Wimbledon warm-up tournament – reached his first grand slam quarterfinal at SW19. The 27-year-old American continued his impressive play on Tuesday, taking the first set and leading 2-0 in the second.

However, Alcaraz eventually found his rhythm, particularly against Paul's serve. The 21-year-old Spaniard broke Paul seven times in the final three sets to build a commanding lead.

After three hours and 11 minutes, the three-time grand slam champion secured a victory, advancing to the Wimbledon semifinals for the second consecutive year.

“I believe that I can come back,” Alcaraz said when asked how he handles difficult moments on court. “If I am struggling a little bit, I try to find the solutions if the opponent is playing great tennis. I believe that, at the end, I will be able to come back and find solutions, the good rhythm. Today’s match is an example. Even here at the grand slams, where the matches are longer, I have more time to come back, so I believe in myself the whole time.”

Medvedev awaits Alcaraz in the semifinals after the Russian defeated world No. 1 Jannik Sinner in a five-set thriller on Centre Court on Tuesday. Sinner won the opening set, but an early illness in the second set forced him to take a medical timeout for evaluation. Medvedev took advantage, winning the next two sets. Despite Sinner’s impressive fourth-set victory, he ultimately ran out of steam, allowing Medvedev to book his spot in the final four.

“It is very tough because I could feel he wasn’t moving that well,” Medvedev said on court after his victory, commenting on Sinner’s condition. “You want to play more points to make him suffer a little bit more, and at the same time, you know at one point he is going to think he can’t run anymore and will go full power and that is what he did. He had set points to win the third set. In a way, I would have preferred to not have this situation but everything turned out well.”

In last year’s semifinal, Alcaraz dominated Medvedev, dropping just nine games to reach his first Wimbledon final, where he clinched his maiden Wimbledon title by defeating Novak Djokovic in a thrilling five-set match.

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