Alcaraz breezes into last eight at US Open

Alcaraz breezes into last eight at US OpenAlcaraz hasn’t dropped a single set in four matches at the US Open after a win over Tommy Paul in the last 16.Carlos Alcaraz beat American 20th seed Tommy Paul 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 in a high-voltage tennis hit-fest on Sunday to reach the US Open quarterfinals and remain firmly on track for back-to-back titles at Flushing Meadows.The seven-time Grand Slam champion hit top form in New York after nearly five months out with a right wrist injury, and extended his major match-winning streak to 18 with a stunning display of shotmaking against a fellow big-hitter.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Federer to play tennis at US Open but rules out Williams-like returnlist 2 of 4Serena Williams, Carlos Alcaraz fall in US Open mixed doubles quarterfinallist 3 of 4US Open 2026: All to know about the schedule, top seeds and favouriteslist 4 of 4Djokovic suffers shock first round exit at US Open amid tears and painend of list“I think I just played my game,” Alcaraz said. “I tried to play to my style. Tommy’s such a talented player, and his shots are pretty dangerous, and it’s difficult to control the ball when it comes to you. I was ready for a battle.“I was trying to be aggressive all the time … I did well to put pressure on his return, which helped me stay calm and to think clearly. I was really happy with the performance.”Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz in action during his round-of-16 match against Tommy Paul of the US [Robert Deutsch/Reuters]Alcaraz’s serve came under pressure in the third game when Paul fired an exquisite 161km/hour (100 mph) forehand winner around the net that brought Arthur Ashe Stadium to its feet. Still, the Spaniard stood firm before striking late to snatch the opening set.The 23-year-old left a vapour trail with a crosscourt winner to carve out an early opening in the second set and swiftly took a 2-0 lead, before trading breaks with Paul and breezing through the remaining games for a commanding lead.Even with much of the show-court crowd yearning for a home winner, second seed Alcaraz continued to steal the show with his audacious play, moving to the brink of improving his win-loss record against American players at the Grand Slams to 13-0.