Carlos Alcaraz Advances to U.S. Open Quarter-Finals with Dominant Win
NEW YORK – The questions about the wrist are gone now. What remains is the familiar sight of Carlos Alcaraz striding through Flushing Meadows like a man who expects to own the place.
On Sunday, the 23-year-old swept into the U.S. Open quarter-finals with a crackling, uncompromising 6-4 6-3 6-4 win over American Tommy Paul, a performance that looked far more like a title defence than a tentative comeback. Any doubts about rust or fragility were buried under the weight of his shot-making and his intensity.
This is his first serious test since a wrist injury kept him out for nearly five months. He arrived in New York preaching caution, talking about managing expectations, treating the fortnight as a check-up on his body rather than a coronation.
Four matches later, the tone has changed.
“After four really good matches, now I feel capable of winning the tournament,” he told reporters, the caveat immediately following. He insisted his mindset remains anchored in gratitude: every time on court “is a gift” and “a moment to enjoy.” The words are calm. His tennis is anything but.
From uncertainty to outright belief
In the early rounds, Alcaraz framed this U.S. Open as an experiment more than a mission. He wanted to see how the wrist would react, how his body would hold up, whether the instincts that carried him to seven Grand Slam titles would return on command.
“At the beginning of the tournament I didn't have any expectations,” he said. “I just came here to see how my body would react, especially my wrist, and above all to enjoy being back competing.”
The reaction has been emphatic. His Grand Slam winning streak now stands at 18 matches. The scoreboard against Paul may suggest routine, but the manner of the win mattered more: authoritative serving, clean acceleration off both wings, and the familiar ability to raise the level just when the opponent senses a way back.
This is a player who has grown more assured with each round. The rhythm is back. The swagger, too.
A familiar stage, a familiar pattern
Alcaraz has now reached the U.S. Open quarter-finals for the fifth time in six appearances, an astonishing record for someone still carving out his prime. Flushing Meadows suits him: the noise, the chaos, the demand to play bold tennis under bright lights.
He also kept alive an odd little thread in his Grand Slam story. All three of his previous major wins over Paul came in tournaments he went on to win: Wimbledon in 2024, Roland Garros in 2025 and this year’s Australian Open. Another victory over the American here, again in straight sets, only tightens the narrative.
“It makes you happy when you know those things, but it doesn't mean anything,” Alcaraz said, unwilling to lean on superstition. “I always say there is a first time for everything, so let's try to make sure it doesn't happen.”
The message is clear. History is nice. It doesn’t win you the next match.
Eyes on the next test
What does matter is the quarter-final ahead, where he will face either Ben Shelton or Stefanos Tsitsipas. Two very different threats, one explosive and raw, the other polished and battle-hardened. Alcaraz is under no illusion that the path will soften from here.
“Both players are going to be very difficult to play against,” he said. No elaboration, no tactical hints, just a nod to the level he expects to encounter.
For now, he leans on the same mantra that carried him through the uncertainty of his layoff.
“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.”
The wrist has held. The game has sharpened. The belief has returned.
The defending champion is no longer just testing himself in New York. He is hunting the trophy again.
