Carlos Alcaraz moved into the US Open quarter-finals with a straight-sets victory over American Tommy Paul, showing no signs of the wrist injury that sidelined him for more than four months before the tournament.
The 23-year-old Spaniard, already the youngest man to complete a career grand slam, won 6-4 6-3 6-4 in two hours and 21 minutes. He faced two set points at the end of the third but saved both with forehand winners.
Alcaraz has now beaten Paul, the 20th seed, six times in a row, winning the last 14 sets they have contested. Paul had said before the match: “I like to think of myself as somebody who always thinks I can beat those (top) players.”
After the match, Alcaraz said: “I played my game, tried to play my style. Tommy is such a talented player, his shots are dangerous so I tried to be ready for the battle, to be ready to run and be aggressive. I think I did it pretty well. Really happy with the performance today. Am I back to full power? I mean I think so.”
If Alcaraz goes on to win back-to-back Flushing Meadows crowns, he would become the only man in the open era to successfully defend major titles on all three surfaces, having won Wimbledon on grass in 2023 and 2024 and the French Open on clay in 2024 and last year.