Alcaraz Overcomes Paul’s Fire to Reach Australian Open Quarters
Carlos Alcaraz stared down Tommy Paul’s blistering start in Melbourne, clawing back to preserve his perfect set run at the 2026 Australian Open and line up a high-stakes clash with Alex de Minaur.
In the charged air of Rod Laver Arena, Carlos Alcaraz met his toughest challenge yet at the 2026 Australian Open on Sunday afternoon. The No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings absorbed an early onslaught from 19th seed Tommy Paul, turning a 4-2 deficit into a 7-6(6), 6-4, 7-5 victory that stretched his unbeaten sets to 12-0. This straight-sets grind, laced with baseline fireworks, propelled the Spaniard to his third consecutive quarterfinal here, eyes fixed on a career Grand Slam younger than countryman Rafael Nadal‘s mark.
Paul, drawing from two prior ATP Head2Head wins over Alcaraz, unleashed flat, penetrating groundstrokes that exploited the hard court’s speed, pinning the top seed deep in the first set. Alcaraz steadied with deeper returns and heavier topspin, forcing errors in the tiebreak where Paul’s backhand down-the-line saved a set point at 5/6, only for a double fault to gift the edge. The crowd’s roar swelled as the world No. 1 shifted momentum, his forehand crosscourts bending low and heavy to break at 2-1 in the second.
“I think he started pretty strong. In the first game, serving, I thought I played a good game, but he came with really strong shots, really flat, and for me it was a bit difficult,” said Alcaraz in his on-court interview. “But I stayed there all the time and I knew I was going to have my chances, and I tried to take them. I think I did that.
“Overall, I think it was a really high level of tennis from both sides, but I’m just really happy that I got it in straight sets.”
Paul‘s grit meets Alcaraz’s poise
Alcaraz fired 35 winners in the two-hour, 44-minute duel, many via inside-out forehands that pulled Paul wide on the Rebound Ace surface, opening angles for down-the-line finishes. Paul, fresh off five wins in seven matches this season after a three-month injury layoff in 2025, saved three break points at 2-1 in the third set with flat returns that tested the Spaniard’s second serve. Yet Alcaraz converted his chance in the 11th game with a one–two pattern—deep serve into forehand inside-in—sealing the break and improving to 6-2 in their series.
The American’s baseline resilience, honed since his 2023 semifinal run here, kept the tension alive, but he couldn’t sustain pressure once the opener slipped away. Alcaraz’s adaptation, blending spin depth with net rushes, turned Paul’s linear power into predictable targets, easing the mental weight of his ranking defense. As the Rod Laver faithful shifted from wary cheers to full-throated support, the top seed’s composure hinted at deeper layers forged in majors’ heat.
World No. 1 things @carlosalcaraz defeats Paul 7-6(6), 6-4, 7-5 to return to the quarter-finals.@AustralianOpen | #AO26 pic.twitter.com/cnTEtNaIuS
— ATP Tour (@atptour) January 25, 2026
De Minaur neutralizes Bublik’s power
Home favorite Alex de Minaur earned his second straight Australian Open quarterfinal with a 6-4, 6-1, 6-1 rout of 10th seed Alexander Bublik, dropping just one set all tournament. The sixth seed tracked drop shots with lightning reflexes, countering Bublik’s big serves and forehand bombs with deep returns that forced the 28-year-old Kazakh into futile movement. De Minaur’s low slices skidded across the net, disrupting rhythm and turning firepower into frustration on the faster hard courts.
This marked only the third time he’s beaten a top-10 player at a major, equaling his best Slam result at age 26. Bublik’s volatility found no purchase against the Australian’s retrieval game, which extended rallies and exploited the surface’s even bounce. De Minaur’s backhand redirects, often crosscourt to stretch the court, built quiet momentum, his form peaking after absorbing Melbourne’s grueling early rounds.
Back-to-back AO quarter-finals for @alexdeminaur @AustralianOpen | #AO26
pic.twitter.com/msc2Zv0IDR— ATP Tour (@atptour) January 25, 2026
Quarterfinal brews tactical storm
De Minaur’s 0-5 major quarterfinal record looms, but his locked-in baseline play promises a tactical chess match against Alcaraz, where speed clashes with explosive shotmaking. The Spaniard leads their Head2Head 3-1, yet the Australian’s movement could drag points long, testing topspin depth on these grippy courts. Alcaraz, the 22-year-old with 24 tour titles, eyes history in the humid intensity, while home crowd energy fuels De Minaur’s bid to end the drought.
“I knew what I was in for today,” De Minaur said. “Bublik is a hell of a player. He has so much firepower and I lost to him the past couple of times. I made sure I was ready to go from the first point to the last and I was locked in. It was all about neutralising his big groundstrokes and doing my best to get him on the move and it all kind of worked perfectly.”
Their 2023 semifinal here stretched five sets, a prelude to adjustments like Alcaraz’s aggressive returns versus De Minaur’s passing shots down-the-line. Paul’s flat assault sharpened the top seed’s resolve, much as Bublik’s chaos honed the Australian’s patience. As the draw tightens, this matchup inside Rod Laver Arena blends psychological edges with hard-court precision, the winner inching toward Slam glory amid Melbourne’s pulsing roar.
“I think the last two matches I have played I have hit the ball extremely well and am extremely pleased with my level,“ De Minaur said. ”I think I am doing everything I want on the court and I am excited for the next one, that is going to be a big one. I am going to have to come out here guns blazing and I am excited for a battle.”
