Alcaraz Rolls Past Paul Into US Open Quarter-Finals After Four-Month Injury Lay-Off
Carlos Alcaraz is into the quarter-finals of the 2026 US Open after a straight-sets win over Tommy Paul, 6-4 6-3 6-4, in the fourth round on 6 September.
This was only Alcaraz's fourth competitive singles match since a wrist injury forced him out for more than four months. That absence cost him both the French Open and Wimbledon this year — two-thirds of the clay and grass seasons gone, just as he was building a Grand Slam streak that had reached 17 consecutive wins at the majors before this tournament began BBC Sport.
No sign of rust, though. The 23-year-old Spaniard has dropped just one set across four rounds in New York. He has now won 18 straight matches at the Grand Slams, a run that stretches back to his 2025 US Open title and includes the 2026 Australian Open — the victory that completed his Career Grand Slam, all four major titles won at least once ATP Tour.
Paul, the American 20th seed, came into the match with a five-set win over Alexander Bublik behind him — a gruelling 6-4 3-6 6-7(4) 6-1 6-2 in the third round US Open. But the head-to-head record was never in his favour. Alcaraz had won six in a row against Paul, with three of those wins coming at the majors US Open.
Alcaraz broke early in each set and never let Paul settle into the rhythm he needed. The American tried to press forward — Paul's best work is done at the net — but Alcaraz's passing shots kept finding the lines. When Paul did create chances, Alcaraz shut them down with the kind of serving that has defined his career: a 72% first-serve win rate and 85% of service games held across his time on Tour ATP Tour.
For a player returning from a wrist injury — the joint that governs topspin, touch and timing — the clinical nature of this performance matters. Seven major titles, 26 career trophies and nearly $65 million in prize money speak to the ceiling Alcaraz has already reached at 23. The question was always going to be how quickly he could find that level again after months away. Four matches in, one set dropped, the answer looks straightforward.
Next up is either Ben Shelton, the American eighth seed, or Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas. They met in the Sunday night session at Flushing Meadows. Alcaraz has never lost to either player at Tour level — three wins from three against Shelton, six from six against Tsitsipas BBC Sport.
He has reached the US Open quarter-finals in every year since his 2021 debut, bar one. That sort of consistency on hard courts — the surface that rewards power and retrieval in equal measure — is what separates a great run from a great career. Alcaraz, still only 23, is building both at once.
