Carlos Alcaraz qualifies for Australian Open 2026 quarter-finals
Alcaraz defeated American Tommy Paul in straight sets
The Spaniard will face local lad Alex De Minaur in his last 8 match
Australian Open favourite Carlos Alcaraz ensured his smooth progression to the last eight with a straight-sets win over Tommy Paul.
Top seed Alcaraz has looked in sharp form at Melbourne Park, and his fine run continued with a 7-6 (8-6) 6-4 7-5 victory on Sunday.
Paul, the number 19 seed, broke Alcaraz in the opening game of the match, but the world number one hit back to force a tie-break, which he sealed after a medical emergency in the crowd caused a 15-minute delay.
Alcaraz did not face a single break point across the next two sets, as he dominated on his serve en route to another serene victory.
The Spaniard will take on home favourite Alex de Minaur, who beat Alexander Bublik 6-4 6-1 6-1, in the last eight, as he bids to reach the Australian Open semi-finals for the very first time.
Last year's runner-up Alexander Zverev also claimed a routine win, with the German overcoming Francisco Cerundolo 6-2 6-4 6-4.
However, Daniil Medvedev was on the end of an upset, as he once again went down to American youngster Learner Tien by a 6-4 6-0 6-3 scoreline.
Medvedev was stunned by Tien in the second round in Melbourne last year, and history repeated itself as the 20-year-old beat the three-time finalist 6-4 6-0 6-3, overcoming a nosebleed in the process and winning 11 straight games.
The victory made Tien the youngest American to reach a maiden grand slam quarter-final since Andy Roddick at the US Open in 2001.
It marked the first time in Medvedev's career that he lost a set in a grand slam match by a 6-0 scoreline, in what was his 451st major match.
Data Debrief: Another Record Tumbles For Alcaraz
Alcaraz has now reached 14 grand slam quarter-finals, setting a new record for a man aged 23 or under, surpassing Bjorn Borg and Boris Becker's tally of 13 each.
And Alcaraz also now has an 80.4% win rate against seeded players at grand slams, taking him clear in that metric, too (Rafael Nadal ranks second with 80.1%).
Meanwhile, only two active male players have reached more major quarter-finals than Zverev (16) – Novak Djokovic (64) and Stan Wawrinka (18).
