Despite being thousands of miles away from Tommy Paul, Carlos Alcaraz continued to torture him. The latter is participating in the ongoing Dallas Open, while Alcaraz is preparing to return to the tour next week at the Qatar Open.

Paul began his season in Dallas with a hard-fought victory over fellow player Jason Brooksby 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (4). After winning the first round on Wednesday, February 11, he accepted Tennis Channel. The conversation turned to Alcaraz and their fourth-round showdown at last month’s Australian Open.

Paul lost in straight sets, his fifth straight loss in the match. The loss still haunts him and he elaborated on the issues that occurred that day. He also joked that he was happy Alcaraz Did not participate in the Dallas Open.

“Oh, I mean, he attacked my forehand so much. Obviously you can’t give him too much time on anything. Depth is everything. Strength is everything. Well, but I mean, I’m glad he didn’t play in this draw, you know,” Paul said.

with Alcaraz, and Jannik SinnerHaving swept most of the major titles on the tour, Paul will be eager to take advantage of their absence in Dallas. He certainly loves playing here, winning the title on his debut in 2024 and reaching the semi-finals in 2025. Now, Miomir Kekmanovic will reach his third straight quarterfinal in Dallas.

Tommy Paul to battle Miomir Kecmanovic for 2026 Dallas Open quarterfinal spot

Tommy Paul The winner will advance to the quarterfinals against Miomir Kekmanovic in the second round of the 2026 Dallas Open on Thursday, February 12. The former has a record of 7 wins and 3 losses this year, while the latter has a record of 1 win and 4 losses. This will be the sixth career meeting between them.

In the confrontation between the two sides, Kekemanovic led 3-2. He won their first few matches in straight sets. Paul ended his losing streak with a victory at the 2023 Cincinnati Open, but lost in five sets at the 2024 Australian Open.

Paul’s most recent meeting was a straight sets win at the 2024 Stockholm Open. With an impressive 8-1 record in Dallas, he will be looking to defeat Keke Manovich, who is currently struggling to win. If he wins his second-round match, he will face the winner of the match between second-seeded Ben Shelton and Adrian Mannarino.