2 days ago
8
Carlos Alcaraz continued to build momentum in his pursuit of the career grand slam as he navigated a slow start and pushed through his first test at the Australian Open to reach the quarter-finals with a 7-6 (6), 6-4, 7-5 win over the 19th seed Tommy Paul.
Alcaraz, the world No 1, has now reached the quarter-finals at Melbourne Park for three consecutive years and this is his first time doing so without dropping a set.
Having already won each of the three other grand slam tournaments twice, he will be attempting to break new ground by reaching the semi-finals of the Australian Open for the first time in his career.
Things were far from easy for Alcaraz, who has played many tough matches with Paul over the past four years, losing to the American twice in their seven meetings.
Alcaraz trailed by a break early in the first set and still could not separate himself from an impressive Paul, who served well, put pressure on the American by taking the ball early and frustrated the Spaniard with his excellent defensive skills.
Paul played admirably throughout the opening set, but in a set determined by such small margins he simply lacked conviction in the decisive moments. After going toe to toe with Alcaraz for more than an hour, he meekly gave away the set with a double fault, just his second of the set.
With the first set secured, Alcaraz relaxed and calmly moved through the remainder of the match without issue.
He did not face a single break point in the final two sets, rolling through his service games while patiently putting pressure on Paul’s serve. Once he earned those opportunities, he did not hesitate to strike.
