“I’m just happy he’s not in this draw” : Tommy Paul admits being haunted by defeat to Carlos Alcaraz at 2026 Australian Open

Tommy Paul kickstarted his 2026 Dallas Open campaign with a hard fought victory over Jenson Brooksby. The American won in the third set tiebreaker, after losing the first set. Seeded fifth at the tournament, Tommy Paul admitted that he was happy that the world number one Carlos Alcaraz is not competing in Dallas.

Tommy Paul was defeated by Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets in the fourth round of the 2026 Australian Open last month. He stated that the loss still haunts him, given how the Spaniard tormented him in Melbourne.

Tommy Paul stated that Carlos Alcaraz was attacking his forehand in the fourth round clash. The American faced his fifth consecutive defeat to the Spaniard, a feat that he is not too proud of.

“Oh, I mean, he was attacking so much on my forehand. He was, obviously you can’t really give him too much time on anything. Depth is everything. Power is everything. Um, but I mean, I’m just happy he’s not in this draw, you know,” Paul said.

So far, Tommy Paul has had an inconsistent start to the season. He was defeated in the first round in Brisbane, then going on to the semifinals in Adelaide. His Australian Open run was cut short by Carlos Alcaraz in the fourth round, who would also go on to win the title.

Tommy Paul will now face Miomir Kecmanovic in the second round clash at the Dallas Open. Meanwhile, as for Carlos Alcaraz, he pulled out of the Rotterdam Open this week following his title-winning run at the 226 Australian Open. He will now return to action at the Doha Open next week, where nine of the top 20 ATP ranked players will be competing.