Carlos Alcaraz continued his return from a four-month wrist injury with a straight-sets victory over American 20th seed Tommy Paul in the fourth round of the US Open. The 23-year-old Spaniard won 6-4 6-3 6-4 in just his fourth competitive singles match since his injury absence, which caused him to miss the French Open and Wimbledon.
Alcaraz has dropped only one set on his path to the quarter-finals in New York. His quarter-final opponent will be either American eighth seed Ben Shelton or Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece, who meet on Sunday. The two-time US Open champion has never lost to either player at Tour level, with a 3-0 record against Shelton and 6-0 against Tsitsipas.
Paul, seeking his first quarter-final appearance at the US Open, battled throughout but proved unable to match Alcaraz's level. The Spaniard broke Paul's serve in the 10th game of the opening set and held serve under pressure at 5-4 in the third set despite Paul holding two break points. One cross-court forehand winner in the second set was measured at 103mph.
Alcaraz's straight-set victory extended his run of match wins at Grand Slams to 18 following his wins at last year's US Open and this year's Australian Open. "Every time I come here, I play my best," Alcaraz said on court when asked if he is back to "full power," noting that except for one year since his 2021 US Open debut, he has made the quarter-finals at the tournament.
Elsewhere on Sunday, American 11th seed Frances Tiafoe defeated 2021 champion Daniil Medvedev 7-6 (7-1) 6-4 7-6 (8-6) in an entertaining match on Louis Armstrong Stadium, maintaining his perfect record on the court with 10 consecutive victories there. Tiafoe will face fellow American Alex Michelman in the quarter-finals after the 22-year-old defeated Argentina's Tomas Martin Etcheverry 7-6 (8-6) 6-4 6-4 to reach his first Grand Slam quarter-final.
