Carlos Alcaraz defeated Tommy Paul in straight sets to match his best result at the Australian Open and reach the quarterfinals.
The world number one, who has yet to drop a set at Melbourne Park, made no secret of his desire to win the title and become the youngest player to complete a career Grand Slam of all four majors.
Alcaraz, who defeated Paul in the quarterfinals of last year’s French Open and in four sets at Wimbledon in 2024, humiliated the 19th seed on hard courts in the afternoon sun at Rod Laver Arena, winning 7-6 (8-6), 6-4, 7-5.
Alcaraz quickly fell behind at Rod Laver Arena and fought back from a 4-2 lead in the first set, but a medical emergency in the crowd at 3-3 in the tiebreak led to a lengthy stoppage, an awkward timing for both players.
It was Paul who cracked with a double fault on Alcaraz’s second set point, but more firepower from the Spaniard eventually got him over the line.
“I think he’s off to a pretty strong start,” said Alcaraz, who reached his 14th Grand Slam quarterfinal by the age of 23, breaking the record held by Bjorn Borg and Boris Becker.
“He came with a really strong shot, so it was a little difficult for me, but I was there the whole time. I knew I had a chance. Overall, it was a very high level of tennis from both sides. I’m really happy to win in straight sets.”
modify the serve
The improved serve that carried Alcaraz to his sixth major title at last summer’s U.S. Open is still a work in progress, and the 22-year-old is particularly pleased with the reliability of his first serve.
He averaged a 70% first serve success rate, 79% of which came against Paul, slightly better than his mark for the entire tournament. The Spaniard also won 68 percent of his points on second serves.
“I’m surprised myself,” he said. “My serve is something I’ve been working on for a long time, so I’m really happy to see it improve.
“I try to check (the stats) after every set. In the four matches I’ve played so far, the serve has been a really important weapon for me.”
The readjusted start of his service motion was familiar and did not escape Novak Djokovic’s attention.
The 24-time major champion joked that he texted Alcaraz early in the tournament asking for royalties.
Alcaraz was asked about it in an on-court TV interview and played along with it.
“Yes, I heard it. The contract is there, but I haven’t met him yet!” the Spaniard said of his interaction with Djokovic.
Alcaraz will now have to break new ground in Melbourne when he faces home favorites Alex de Minaur or Alexander Bublik.
Alexander Zverev and Novak Djokovic have outperformed him in the past two years, and he has reached the last eight three years in a row.
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