Carlos Alcaraz moves on to the quarterfinals of the Australian Open.
MELBOURNE, Australia — Shortly after Carlos Alcaraz secured his place in the Australian Open quarterfinals with a victory over Tommy Paul, focus shifted to his serve.
The top-seeded Alcaraz, competing in Australia to achieve a career Grand Slam at the age of 22, has been making slight adjustments to his serve. This strategy proved effective on Sunday as he triumphed with a score of 7-6 (6), 6-4, 7-5 against the 19th-seeded Paul. He recorded no double-faults, successfully landed 70% of his first serves, and won 79% of those points. Additionally, he claimed 68% of points on his second serve.
The modified beginning of his service motion has drawn attention, including from Novak Djokovic. The 24-time major champion humorously remarked earlier in the tournament that he had sent Alcaraz a message requesting a copyright fee.
During an on-court television interview at Rod Laver Arena, Alcaraz responded to this with humor as well.
“Yeah. I heard that. I have the contract over there but I haven’t seen him yet!” the Spaniard commented regarding his interaction with Djokovic.
Elaborating on the topic, he mentioned that when videos of his service motion surfaced during the pre-season, he checked his phone and found a message from Djokovic that essentially said: “Alright, you have to pay!”
Alcaraz noted that the lighthearted banter in the locker room adds to the enjoyment. Djokovic, aiming for an unprecedented 25th Grand Slam title, has been thwarted in the past two years by Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, who have evenly divided the eight titles between them.
A notable absence in Alcaraz’s tennis achievements is a title at Melbourne Park, as he has never advanced beyond the quarterfinals. He is set to compete against either local favorite Alex de Minaur or No. 10 Alexander Bublik in the upcoming quarterfinals.
A MEDICAL BREAK
Paul reached the Australian Open semifinals in 2023, which provided him with some confidence heading into the fourth-round match against Alcaraz.
The two players were engaged in a close first-set tiebreaker when a medical incident interrupted their match for over 14 minutes.
At a score of 3-3, chair umpire Marija Cicak informed them that a spectator at Rod Laver Arena required urgent medical assistance.
The delay was lengthy enough that the players were able to warm up again for a few minutes before play resumed, following the spectator being escorted out of the arena by medical and ambulance personnel.
After the break, Alcaraz maintained the lead. He broke serve in the crucial 10th game of the third set and concluded the match in 2 hours and 44 minutes.
The two embraced at the net, Alcaraz performed a brief dance move on the court to entertain the audience, and then applauded the 28-year-old American as he exited the court.
“Overall, a really high level of tennis from both sides,” Alcaraz remarked. “Really happy I got it in straight sets.”
Alcaraz acknowledged his serving statistics and, in a modest manner, added, “Yeah, it’s impressing myself to be honest” regarding his performance in the first four matches at Melbourne Park.
“After every set, I try to check it out — checking on the screens,” he stated. “In general, I think the four matches that I’ve played (here) the serve has been an important weapon for me.”
Source: espn.com
