Power on full display: Carlos Alcaraz marches into Australian Open quarters

MELBOURNE: Carlos Alcaraz’s Australian Open charge continues to gather momentum as the world No 1 booked his place in the quarter-finals with a composed straight-sets victory over Tommy Paul, extending his flawless run at Melbourne Park.

The Spaniard matched his best-ever performance at the tournament by sealing a 7-6(6), 6-4, 7-5 win on Rod Laver Arena, maintaining his record of not dropping a single set so far. While the scoreline suggests control, Alcaraz was made to work hard by the American, especially in the opening exchanges.

Paul struck first, racing into a 4-2 lead in the opening set and applying early pressure, but Alcaraz responded with trademark resilience. A tense tie-break – briefly interrupted by a medical emergency in the stands – proved pivotal. Paul faltered at a crucial moment with a double fault, allowing Alcaraz to seize the initiative and never fully relinquish it.

From there, the top seed’s superior firepower and court coverage began to tell. He navigated key moments with maturity beyond his years, closing out the second set before holding firm in a tightly contested third to seal the win.

Alcaraz, who is chasing history by attempting to become the youngest man to complete a career Grand Slam, said he expected a stern test. He credited patience and belief for helping him weather the early storm, describing the contest as a high-quality battle decided by fine margins.

One of the standout features of Alcaraz’s Melbourne campaign has been his serving consistency. Against Paul, he landed around 70 per cent of first serves, reinforcing a trend that has underpinned his dominance throughout the tournament. The 22-year-old admitted the serve – long considered the one area to refine – has become a genuine weapon during his run.

The performance was another chapter in what has been a commanding Australian Open showing for Alcaraz. Earlier in the tournament, he drew loud approval from the Melbourne crowd with a confident straight-sets win over Germany’s Yannick Hanfmann, where he combined explosive baseline play with deft touch at the net. That match, highlighted by a marathon opening set and flashes of humour with fans, set the tone for a campaign built on control, intensity and growing comfort on hard courts.

Now into the last eight for the third consecutive year, Alcaraz will look to go further than before after falling at the quarter-final hurdle in previous editions. He is set to face either local favourite Alex de Minaur or Alexander Bublik as he bids to break new ground in Melbourne and edge closer to another major milestone in an already glittering young career.

When asked about changing his shirt, and sending the crowd into a frenzy, Alcaraz still managed to keep it classy: