A remarkable streak continues for Carlos Alcaraz at the 2026 US Open.
With a 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Tommy Paul, the world No. 3 extended a Grand Slam streak to 18 straight match wins—11 of them coming at Flushing Meadows, where the Spaniard is the defending champion. The two-hour, 21-minute progress also secured Alcaraz’s fifth quarterfinal from six US Open appearances.
While few could doubt the pedigree that Alcaraz—a recent world No. 1, with seven majors among his 26 total titles—brought into the season’s final major, it was reasonable to question the form that the 23-year-old could manage in his first tournament since a right wrist injury forced him off tour in April.
But with just one set dropped in wins over Roman Safiullin, Jaime Faria and Wu Yibing, Alcaraz has been, in his own words, “feeling better and better after every match” this year at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
The sense of Alcaraz’s gradual build towards best form also shaped his seventh straight win over the 20th-seeded Paul.
With the American producing an ace, as well as crowd-pleasing winners off both his forehand and backhand in the first three games, Paul at first appeared poised to make Alcaraz work hard in Arthur Ashe Stadium.
But the eighth game saw Paul feeling the pressure on serve, with Alcaraz securing the break—and the set—two games later. It marked the start of a momentum shift from which the American never truly recovered.
With a hold and a break at the start of the second set, Alcaraz had claimed four consecutive games. There was a temporary reprieve when Paul recovered the early service break but the Spaniard continued to dictate at the most crucial stages. From 3-1 up he maintained the second-set lead, securing it in 49 minutes.
Most notable for the Spaniard was his ability to trouble Paul’s serve, converting four of 14 break points and consistently applying scoreboard pressure. Combining his trademark aggression with an entertaining element of creativity, the Spaniard completed his most authoritative win this year as he set up match point with a stunning forehand winner, securing victory when Paul netted a return.
“I’m really happy to see where my level is right now. You know, beating Tommy Paul is always great feedback to see where you are, and [I’m] just really happy about everything I've done today,” Alcaraz reflected.
“I think I returned pretty well. I saw the game really well today, what I had to do in every moment, using the right things, you know, in every moment. So I’m just really happy.”
An element of unpredictability was a key to his success return of serve strategy, with the Spaniard standing both back and forward at various stages. “I'm trying to make them think a little bit. Sometimes when you are in, or you just take in one position, you don't make them think, you know, about the serve,” Alcaraz explained.
“It's kind of you're going point after point, and you're thinking just about your serve, not about the opponent. When you change the position of the return, if you're going back, if you're going, into the court, you make them feel or think a little bit. So you just, in a way, you're putting pressure on him.”
Most pleasing for Alcaraz was the overall level he’s found at his first tournament in more than four months. “Hopefully [I can], keep it going,” pointing to his own serve as a potential area for improvement, “But [I’m] just happy, and I'm going to enjoy this moment, for sure.”
WHAT IT MEANS
Two-time US Open champion Alcaraz is now preparing for a meeting with the winner of the quarterfinal between Ben Shelton and Stefanos Tsitsipas. Alcaraz holds a perfect record against each man.
The Spaniard claimed the last of his three wins against Shelton in the fourth round of 2025 Roland Garros. Three of six wins over Tsitsipas have occurred at Grand Slam level—the first in the third round of the 2021 US Open, the most recent at Roland Garros in 2023 and 2024, both at the quarterfinal stage.
MATCH POINT
Alcaraz is now a 15-time quarterfinalist at Grand Slam level. In seven appearances at the US Open, he has failed to reach the quarterfinals just once. The lone blip came in 2024, when Botic van de Zandschulp claimed an upset win over the Spaniard in the second round.
