Carlos Alcaraz advanced to his third consecutive Australian Open quarter-final with a straight-sets victory over Tommy Paul. The world No. 1, who hasn't dropped a set all tournament, won 7-6(6), 6-4, 7-5 on Rod Laver Arena. This marks his 14th Grand Slam quarter-final before turning 23, breaking a record held by Bjorn Borg and Boris Becker.

Alcaraz's improved serve proved crucial, with the 22-year-old averaging 70% first-serve points and winning 79% of those against Paul. He credited the serve's reliability as a key weapon throughout his four Melbourne matches. The victory continues his dominant 2026 start, having not lost a single set across 12 played this season.

The Spaniard now faces a new challenge in the quarter-finals against either Alex De Minaur or Alexander Bublik. Having reached this stage the past two years only to fall to Alexander Zverev and Novak Djokovic, Alcaraz seeks his first Australian Open final. His quest to become the youngest man to complete the career Grand Slam adds extra weight to this Melbourne campaign.