Carlos Alcaraz was thrown a curveball in the aftermath of his latest US Open victory over Tommy Paul when he discovered his next opponent.
In conversation with Andy Roddick for ESPN, Alcaraz was left confused when the the 2003 champion listed his potential options for the quarter-finals after a straight sets (6-4, 6-3, 6-4) win over Paul.
Roddick touched on the potential match against either Ben Shelton or Stefanos Tsitsipas, with the American later advancing, but Alcaraz provoked laughter with his reaction.
“You’re either going to play Shelton or Tsitsipas,” Roddick said. “Maybe just a word on both of them and the challenges …”
He didn’t get to finish the sentence because Alcaraz leaned over to look at the paper in front of Roddick.
“Really? Oh my God, I thought I was playing Medvedev-Tiafoe,” Alcaraz said, before both men started laughing.
Frances Tiafoe beat Daniil Medvedev in their match that was going on during the interview, but now plays Alex Michelsen.
Many tennis players say they don’t like to look ahead at their draw, though it might be rare for one to not know his next match so deep in a tournament.
Shelton, the No. 8 seed, beat Tsitsipas in straight sets.
AP contributed to this report
