Carlos Alcaraz Advances to U.S. Open Quarter-finals
NEW YORK – The questions about the wrist can wait. Carlos Alcaraz has other plans in New York.
Under the lights at Flushing Meadows on Sunday, the 23-year-old tore into the second week of the U.S. Open with the kind of authority that turns a favourite into a clear frontrunner, dismissing American Tommy Paul 6-4 6-3 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals and stretch his Grand Slam winning streak to 18 matches.
This is his first serious test since a wrist injury kept him out for nearly five months. It doesn’t look like it.
From doubt to conviction
Alcaraz arrived in New York preaching caution. No bold predictions, no grand declarations. Just a player eager to see if his body – and especially that wrist – would hold up under the strain of best-of-five tennis again.
"At the beginning of the tournament I didn't have any expectations. I just came here to see how my body would react, especially my wrist, and above all to enjoy being back competing," he said.
Four rounds later, the tone has shifted. The enjoyment is still there, but it now rides alongside something far sharper: conviction.
"After four really good matches, now I feel capable of winning the tournament," he told reporters. "I still have the same expectations. I still have the same mentality of knowing that every time I step on court is a gift and it is a moment to enjoy."
The gift, for the crowd, is watching a player who has rediscovered his full range. Against Paul, Alcaraz mixed heavy, biting groundstrokes with feathery touch, controlled aggression with sudden surges of pace. The American pushed, but never quite broke through. Each time he threatened, Alcaraz slammed the door with a clean strike or a bold change of direction.
A familiar path, a familiar victim
Paul knows this script all too well. The defeat continues a striking pattern at the majors: every time Alcaraz has beaten the American at a Grand Slam, he has gone on to lift the trophy.
Their previous three meetings at the majors – Wimbledon in 2024, Roland Garros in 2025 and this year’s Australian Open – all ended the same way: Alcaraz over Paul, then Alcaraz holding the title.
"It makes you happy when you know those things, but it doesn't mean anything," the Spaniard said. "I always say there is a first time for everything, so let's try to make sure it doesn't happen."
The numbers around him are beginning to take on the weight of a seasoned champion. A seven-time Grand Slam winner, he has now reached the U.S. Open quarter-finals for the fifth time in six appearances, and with each round this fortnight he has looked more at ease, more like the man who owns the court rather than the one testing it.
Enjoyment as fuel
For all the statistics and streaks, Alcaraz keeps circling back to the same theme: gratitude. After months on the sidelines, the grind of a Slam feels less like a burden and more like a privilege.
"For me it is still a gift to be able to compete once again and play another quarter-final here at the U.S. Open, so I'm going to try to enjoy it and give my best," he said.
That attitude has not dulled his edge. It has sharpened it. The freedom to enjoy the moment has become a weapon, loosening his arm in the tight games, allowing him to swing with clarity when others might tense.
Shelton or Tsitsipas next
The next obstacle will come from either Ben Shelton or Stefanos Tsitsipas. One brings raw, homegrown power and a booming left-handed serve. The other brings experience, variety and a game built for big stages.
"Both players are going to be very difficult to play against," Alcaraz said, matter-of-factly.
The wrist has held. The game is humming. The defending champion is back in the quarter-finals in New York, playing as if the road to the title still runs straight through him.
