Tommy Paul gave Carlos Alcaraz rallies to enjoy. Daniil Medvedev will give him a problem to solve. The Spaniard, seed No. 2, beat the American, the No. 7 seed, 6-4, 7-6 (2) on Friday afternoon to reach the semifinals of the Erste Bank Open, where he meets the most prolific hard-court player of the season.

Medvedev, the No. 3 seed, arrives on a seven-match winning streak after taking the Almaty title last Sunday. He leads the tour with 41 hard-court wins this season, reaches his fifth semifinal in as many weeks and has won 18 of his 19 matches since late September.

By reaching the last four, the 2022 Vienna champion also secured his place at the Nitto ATP Finals, his seventh qualification in eight years.

Alcaraz brings an unbeaten record of his own. He has now won 24 consecutive matches at ATP 500 level, a run that stretches back to last year’s Barcelona final, and is 14-0 at that level this season. On hard courts in 2026, he is 31-4.

I played great tennis, probably without quite as much confidence as yesterday

Against Paul, he was satisfied rather than dazzling. “I think I played great tennis, probably without quite as much confidence as yesterday, for example, when it came to hitting from the back of the court,” he said. “But, overall, I’m very satisfied with the battle, with having managed to find my way during the match and, ultimately, securing the victory in two sets.”

He also enjoyed the show. “I think everyone has been able to see the points we played today. There have been great rallies, great points, and spectacular shots from both of us. I’m very happy, I really enjoy this kind of match. I’m a big fan of Tommy, honestly. I love his style, the way he plays, and I really enjoy watching him play. So, for me, facing him is always a pleasure. Today I just hoped that everyone could enjoy this match as much as I did. And, obviously, I’m very happy with the performance I delivered.”

The win gives Alcaraz an 8-2 lead in his head-to-head with Paul. It takes him to the 50th tour-level semifinal of his career and his second in Vienna, after 2021. He had beaten Russian Karen Khachanov 6-4, 7-6 (5) and Georgian Nikoloz Basilashvili 6-1, 7-6 (11) earlier in the week.