Carlos Alcaraz Dominates US Open Quarterfinals with Stunning Forehand

Carlos Alcaraz didn’t just return to the US Open. He stormed back and planted a flag.

After more than four months out with a right wrist injury, the Spaniard has ripped through the draw in New York, dropping only one set in four matches and brushing aside Tommy Paul in straight sets on Arthur Ashe Stadium to reach the quarterfinals.

The scoreline – 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 – only tells part of it. The manner of it told the rest.

A Forehand That Left the Other Bench Shaking Its Head

Paul arrived with belief. The World No. 21 had just taken out Alexander Zverev in Cincinnati and knew Alcaraz’s game as well as anyone on tour. This was their ninth meeting. He’s seen the patterns, felt the weight of shot, lived the pressure moments.

None of that prepared him for the forehand that showed up on Sunday night.

“Carlos’s forehand was absolutely astounding,” Paul’s veteran coach Brad Stine told Tennis Channel after the two-hour, 20-minute contest. Then he went a step further, turning disbelief into a punchline. “I actually said yesterday to a couple of people. I want to have them do drug testing on that racket.

“I think there’s something. I think that racket’s juiced. It’s got to be juiced. It can’t be him, can it? Because every time he touches the ball with that racket, it just goes. It comes off like a cannon.”

From the other side of the net, it must have felt that way. Time and again, Alcaraz stepped in and ripped, changing direction with ease, dragging Paul corner to corner and finishing points with that signature, explosive whip through the ball.

A Rivalry Tilted, and a Slice of History

For Paul, this matchup has become a recurring exam he can’t quite pass. He said it himself before the match.

“I think I’ve played him more than anybody on tour, for me, which is kind of crazy,” the American noted. “But yeah, we’ve had some good matches. One really bad beatdown at the French Open. But he’s the test. Him and Sinner; they’ve been playing great.”

The test only got tougher in New York.

Alcaraz now leads their head-to-head 7–2, tightening his grip on a rivalry that once felt more balanced. Their last meeting before Sunday came in the fourth round of the 2026 Australian Open, where Alcaraz also won in straight sets on his way to the title.

This latest victory carried a historical twist. By beating Paul at the US Open, Alcaraz has now defeated the American at all four Grand Slam tournaments, becoming just the 10th man in the Open Era to beat the same opponent at each of the four majors.

That kind of stat usually belongs to veterans with a decade or more at the top. Alcaraz is still only in his early twenties and already collecting niche records alongside the big ones.

From Doubt to Domination

The context makes this run even more ominous for the rest of the field. Alcaraz hadn’t played a tournament since the Barcelona Open in April. A right wrist injury kept him off the tour and raised inevitable questions: timing, sharpness, confidence, especially on the forehand side that defines his game.

Those doubts evaporated quickly in New York.

Through four rounds, the defending champion has looked almost untouchable. Just one set conceded. Long, physical rallies owned. Big points played with clarity and aggression. The wrist that sidelined him has instead powered the shot that has everyone talking.

Including the opposing coach.

Another American Awaits

The assignment doesn’t get any easier for the home crowd. With Paul dispatched, Alcaraz now turns to another American, Ben Shelton, in the quarterfinals.

They meet on Tuesday, September 8, under the lights in the night session, starting at 7:00 p.m. ET. Ashe will be loud, partisan, restless. Shelton will bring the booming lefty serve, the swagger, the willingness to trade highlight-reel blows.

Alcaraz will bring the racket Brad Stine wants tested.

If this is what he looks like after four months out, how much more damage can he do as the stakes rise and the second week pressure closes in?