Carlos Alcaraz vs Tommy Paul live: Scores and updates from French Open quarter-final

Carlos Alcaraz described how it felt to play the “perfect” tennis match by saying: “I could close my eyes and everything went in”.

Alcaraz defeated Tommy Paul 6-0 6-1 6-4 in just 93 minutes to return to the French Open semi-finals for the third year in a row.

The defending champion will face Lorenzo Musetti in the semi-finals on Friday after blasting Paul, the 12th seed, off the court in a one-sided night session match.

Almost half of the total points won by Alcaraz were winners, with the Spaniard hitting 40 across the straight-sets win in what was his best display of the tournament so far.

Lorenzo Musetti escaped being disqualified from the French Open after accidentally kicking a ball at a line judge during this quarter-final win over Frances Tiafoe.

The Italian progressed to his first Roland Garros semi-final after beating Tiafoe in four sets and will play defending champion Carlos Alcaraz on Friday for a place in the final.

But the eighth seed had a fortunate escape during his contest with Tiafoe where Musetti risked being defaulted from the tournament when he struck a line judge by volleying the ball with his foot.

Speaking after the match, Tiafoe said the lack of punishment for Musetti was “comical” and the Italian admitted he was “scared” of potentially being thrown out of the tournament.

The match-up the French Open had been waiting for came before the tournament began: Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka, the two rivals who have grappled over the World No 1 position for the past three years, met on the practice courts at Roland Garros and played a set.

Two weeks later, they will meet again in the semi-finals, a blockbuster booked between the defending champion Swiatek and the biggest contender for her throne, the top seed Sabalenka. With eight grand slam titles between them, it will be the first time they have met at this level since the 2022 US Open.

Iga Swiatek is still in the hunt for a record-breaking French Open title triumph after setting up a blockbuster semi-final against World No 1 Aryna Sabalenka.

Swiatek swept past Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina 6-1 7-5 on a windy day at Roland Garros to book her place in the last four.

The 24-year-old, who accepted a one-month doping ban late last year, is looking to become the first woman in the professional era since 1968 to win four consecutive titles in Paris.

Although she failed to win a title going into the French Open this season, she looks to have rediscovered her remarkable clay-court form in Paris.

She will next play top seeded Sabalenka in a mouth-watering semi-final after the Belarusian beat China's Zheng Qinwen in straight sets.

Court Philippe-Chatrier

Madison Keys [7] vs Coco Gauff [2]

Mirra Andreeva [6] vs Lois Boisson

Jannik Sinner [1] vs Alexander Bublik

not before 7.15pm

Alexander Zverev [3] vs Novak Djokovic [6]

• Aryna Sabalenka [1] bt. Zheng Qinwen [8] 7-6 6-3
• Iga Swiatek [5] bt. Elina Svitolina [13] 6-1 7-5
• Lorenzo Musetti [8] bt. Frances Tiafoe [15] 6-2 4-6 7-5 6-2
• Carlos Alcaraz [2] bt. Tommy Paul [12] 6-0 6-1 6-4

“Every tournament is here is special. I’m really happy to be in the semi-final again, the third year in a row. I’m enjoying it.

“It’s always fun playing here. I have to say: I know you wanted to watch more tennis, I’m sorry about it! I had to do my work.”

“I could close my eyes and everything went in. My feeling today was unbelievable. I was trying to hit every shot 100 per cent. I was trying to hit everything forward. Today was a day where everything went in. It was unbelievable.

“We were in the quarter-finals of Roland Garros, these matches are never easy. I played against Tommy many times and every match was really difficult - he beat my twice. That helped me in the beginning of the match to help me focus on my game. Tommy is an unbelievable player and that helped me today.”

It will be a repeat of the Monte Carlo final and Rome semi-final as Carlos Alcaraz and Lorenzo Musetti meet in the French Open semi-finals.

Alcaraz has won his last five matches against the Italian.

It’s all over! Alcaraz races into the French Open semi-finals with his best performance of the tournament.

He seals it with another forehand winner. Alcaraz applauds Paul off the court, with the American playing through injury.