By Richard Pagliaro | Sunday, September 6, 2026
Photo credit: Antoine Couvercelle/ROLEX
NEW YORK—Rockets rise next to the New York Hall of Science in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park.
Leave it to Carlos Alcaraz to turn Arthur Ashe Stadium into a launching pad.
Rocketing missiles down the line and landing drizzling droppers in the front court, Alcaraz shredded Tommy Paul 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 today, soaring into his fifth US Open quarterfinal. Alcaraz raised his US Open record to 28-3, his 93% winning percentage is the highest in Open Era history.
“Well, I think I just played my game. I tried to just play my style,” Alcaraz told Prakash Amritraj afterward. “I think Tommy is such a talented player. I think he’s pretty dangerous. Sometimes, it’s difficult to control the ball when it comes to you.
“So I just tried to be ready for the battle, to be ready to run if it matters. Trying to be aggressive all the time. I think I did it pretty well. I put so much pressure on the return games. For me, it helped a lot to play relaxed, to play calm, to think clearly. So I’m just really happy with my performance today.”
Sidelined for four-and-a-half months due to a right wrist injury he sustained at the Barcelona Open in April, Alcaraz has shaken off the rust in week one of this US Open, showed flashes of stratospheric shot-making skills and has excelled from all areas of the court.
Newlywed Paul is a skilled all-court player, who owns two career wins over the Spaniard. Today, Alcaraz exceeded Paul in every phase of the game to post his 18th consecutive Grand Slam win.
Reigning champion Alcaraz has advanced to the last eight in 13 of his last 14 major appearances, improving to 13-0 lifetime against Americans in Grand Slam play.
The youngest man to complete the career Grand Slam aims to keep flying high in a quarterfinal showdown against either American Ben Shelton, a two-time Canadian Open champion, or two-time major finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas. Alcaraz is a combined 9-0 vs. vs. Shelton and Tsitsipas. The former No. 1 is 3-0 vs. Shelton and 6-0 vs. Tsitsipas, including an epic five-set win at the 2021 US Open that announced Alcaraz as a major threat.
The Arthur Ashe Stadium retractable roof, which was closed for Aryna Sabalenka’s fourth-round win over American Taylor Townsend, was open when Alcaraz and Paul strode on court shortly after 2 p.m. New York time.
The 20th-seeded Paul, playing for his first Top 10 in in a Slam, stayed in step for eight games.
Then Alcaraz elevated to periods of transcendent tennis taking four games in a row.
The second-seeded Spaniard scalded a sizzling forehand to force an errant forehand reply, breaking to take the opening set.
Overall, Alcaraz dominated several key forehand to forehand exchanges.
Alcaraz blasted 33 winners—15 more than Paul—and was extremely effective dabbing the drop shot to win the point outright or set up routine volleys. Alcaraz won 23 of 29 trips to net.
The challenge for Paul was trying to hang with Alcaraz in forehand rallies—and the unsettling unpredictability the two-time champion was imposing.
Case in point, Alcaraz lofted a loopy lob winner for double break point in the fourth game then fired a flamethrower forehand down the line, drawing gasps from some startled fans, breaking for a 3-1 second-set lead. Alcaraz backed up the break at 15 for 4-1.
Credit Paul, who was looking overmatched in some rallies, for showing his grit denying six break points to hold firm for 2-4.
Carving another slick drop shot for double set point, Alcaraz pumped a serve down the T screaming “come on!” to celebrate a two-set lead.
Even when Paul seemed to have the upper hand, Alcaraz answered. At net Alcaraz absorbed a heavy Paul pass into the bod and reflexed a volley winner for the break and a 2-1 third-set lead.
The seven-time major champion won eight of his next 10 service points stretching his lead to 5-3.
In the final game, Alcaraz saved two break points—he saved three of four break points overall—then unleashed a running forehand for match point.
Banging a big second serve into the body, Alcaraz closed in two hours, 21 minutes raising his record vs. Paul to 7-2.
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