ATP Tour

Alcaraz dazzles Melbourne, rolls into Australian Open R4

Carlos Alcaraz treated the Melbourne crowd to a highlight-reel performance Friday, earning a 6-2, 6-4, 6-1 victory against Corentin Moutet to reach the Australian Open fourth round.

If the top seed is feeling any pressure of chasing his maiden Australian Open title and a Career Grand Slam, the Spaniard is not showing it. Alcaraz played with confidence and freedom from the baseline, highlighted by a superb tweener on the second point of the second set, a 16-ball exchange that brought alive the fans inside Rod Laver Arena.

After leading 3-0 in the second set, Alcaraz dropped four consecutive games, yet quickly regrouped and earned a crucial break at 4-4 to serve for a two-sets-to-love lead. The World No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings raced to a double-break lead in the third set and applied the finishing touches to advance after two hours and five minutes.

“It wasn’t easy,” Alcaraz said. “When you play someone like Corentin, you don’t know what’s going to be next. That’s really difficult to approach the match, but I had so much fun with it on the court. I think we both pulled off great shots, great points. I think there were a few highlights in the match. I’m grateful to play this kind of match against him.”

With his win, Alcaraz improved to 87-13 at Slam level, tying Bjorn Borg for the best major record after 100 matches. A six-time major champion, the 22-year-old has twice reached the quarter-finals in Melbourne.

Another day, another milestone 🌟

In his 100th Grand Slam match, @carlosalcaraz defeats Moutet 6-2, 6-4, 6-1 to return to the fourth round.@AustralianOpen | #AO26 pic.twitter.com/akcFw0Jjm8

— ATP Tour (@atptour) January 23, 2026

Up next for Alcaraz is 19th seed Tommy Paul, who advanced after Alejandro Davidovich Fokina retired with the American leading 6-1, 6-1. The Spaniard called the physio for a left leg issue in the second set. Alcaraz leads Paul 5-2 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

“We have great battles against each other," Alcaraz said of his clashes with Paul, a 2023 semi-finalist in Melbourne. "It’s always really difficult to play against him. He plays great tennis on hard courts with that flat backhand that he slices a lot, aggressive, great touch. It’s going to be a really interesting one.”

Through three matches this fortnight, Alcaraz is yet to drop a set. Against the lefty Moutet, the Spaniard pummeled the ball off both wings, hammering 30 winners, several of which were passing shots by the net-rushing Frenchman. Moutet showed flashes of his best tennis and produced his own magic with exquisite tweeners and feel around the net, adding a flair of entertainment despite the defeat.

“I thought we were in a drop shot competition,” Alcaraz joked. “Definitely, he won.”

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