Carlos Alcaraz Dominates Tommy Paul to Reach U.S. Open Quarter-finals

NEW YORK – The wrist was supposed to be the question. By Sunday night at Flushing Meadows, Carlos Alcaraz had turned it into an afterthought.

The defending U.S. Open champion tore into Tommy Paul with a performance that crackled from first ball to last, a 6-4 6-3 6-4 victory that sent him into the quarter-finals and stretched his Grand Slam winning streak to 18 matches. Any doubts about rust or fragility after nearly five months out were buried under the weight of his shot-making.

This is his first full-blooded test since the wrist injury that parked him on the sidelines. He arrived in New York talking about caution, about managing expectations, about simply seeing how the body would respond. Four rounds later, the tone has shifted.

“After four really good matches, now I feel capable of winning the tournament,” he said, the message as clear as his scoreline. The tournament favourite is no longer pretending otherwise.

Alcaraz, still only 23, has grown more assured with each step through the draw. The movement is sharper, the forehand heavier, the grin wider. The player who tiptoed into the event now strides around Arthur Ashe Stadium as if he never left.

“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 explained. That sense of gratitude has become a theme. “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 numbers back up the feeling. This is his fifth U.S. Open quarter-final in six appearances, a run of consistency that belongs to a seasoned veteran, not a player still carving out his prime years. Seven Grand Slam titles already sit behind him; the hunger for an eighth is unmistakable.

Against Paul, he imposed himself early and never really let go. The American, backed by a partisan crowd, tried to drag him into longer rallies, to test that wrist and the patience behind it. Alcaraz refused to blink, tightening his grip whenever the set seemed to loosen.

There was another twist to the matchup. Paul has become a familiar obstacle on Alcaraz’s biggest stages, and the Spaniard has turned him into a recurring chapter in his title stories. All three of his previous Grand Slam wins over the American came on the way to lifting the trophy – at Wimbledon in 2024, Roland Garros in 2025 and this year’s Australian Open.

“It makes you happy when you know those things, but it doesn't mean anything,” Alcaraz said. “I always say there is a first time for everything, so let's try to make sure it doesn't happen.” A statistic, nothing more. The job, as always, is the next match.

That next step will be against either Ben Shelton or Stefanos Tsitsipas, two very different problems waiting on the horizon. Shelton brings raw power and home support; Tsitsipas offers experience and variety. Alcaraz is under no illusions.

“Both players are going to be very difficult to play against,” he said, already bracing for another test under the New York lights.

For now, though, he allows himself a moment to recognise where he stands: back in the last eight of the U.S. Open, healthy, dangerous and relishing every second.

“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,” he said. “So I'm going to try to enjoy it and give my best.”

The wrist has held. The belief has returned. The champion is moving, and the rest of the field can see exactly where he’s headed.