Alcaraz battles past Paul to book Australian Open QF spot

MELBOURNE — World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz overcame the stern test of Tommy Paul to maintain his commanding start and reach his third consecutive Australian Open quarterfinal here on Sunday.

Alcaraz registered a 7-6(6), 6-4, 7-5 win over 19th seed Paul in two hours and 44 minutes to maintain his commanding start to the hard-court major in Melbourne.

At just 22 years old, Alcaraz is a six-time major champion and is chasing more history. Should he claim his maiden Australian Open title, Alcaraz would complete his Career Grand Slam and become the youngest player to achieve that feat. The current holder of that record is his countryman Rafael Nadal.

The 22-year-old top seed, who fired 35 winners and is yet to drop a set, will next play home favourite Alex de Minaur or Alexander Bublik at Melbourne Park for a place in the semifinals.

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In a tight first set, Alcaraz had to fight back from the early break deficit as Paul went toe-to-toe with the powerful Spaniard from the baseline. Alcaraz broke serve in a dramatic tiebreak to claim the opening set 7-6 (8-6), completing a remarkable comeback on Rod Laver Arena.

Alcaraz rode a purple patch to clinch a break of serve in the third game of the second set. Serving for the set for the second time, the top seed delivered under pressure with a composed performance. He held serve to claim the second set 6-4, taking a commanding two-set lead.

Serving for the match after his crucial break in game eleven, Alcaraz delivered a masterclass in clutch serving under pressure. After dropping the opening point, the Spaniard responded by firing three consecutive powerful serves that repeatedly forced errors from Paul.

Alcaraz then sealed the match with a thunderous 214 kmph service winner, his fastest delivery of the game, taking the third set 7-5.