Carlos Alcaraz has edged closer to becoming the youngest man ever to complete the career Grand Slam of all four major crowns after a win at the Australian Open.
The world number one equalled his best run in the competition after defeating Tommy Paul in straight sets to reach the quarter-finals.
The young tennis star has made no secret of his desire to claim the title and achieve the historic record.
He is yet to drop a set at Melbourne Park.
During his latest match, he overcame a few tricky moments to maintain that in a 7-6 (6), 6-4, 7-5 victory over American Paul.
Alcaraz found himself immediately on the back foot on Rod Laver Arena.
He trailed 4-2 in the opening set before fighting back.
The game was temporarily halted due to a medical emergency in the crowd at 3-3 in the tie-break, which proved awkward timing for both men.
Carlos Alcaraz has edged closer to becoming the youngest man ever to complete the career Grand Slam
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Paul double-faulted on Alcaraz’s second set point, and the Spaniard went on to win the matchup.
Alcaraz also achieved history during the game, bettering the record held by Bjorn Borg and Boris Becker by reaching a 14th slam quarter-final before turning 23.
He said: “I think he started pretty strong.
“He came with really strong shots and for me it was difficult a little bit but I stayed there all the time. I knew I was going to have my chances. Overall it’s been a really high level of tennis from both sides, I’m just really happy I got it in straight sets.”
Carlos Alcaraz has equalled his best run in the competition after defeating Tommy Paul in straight sets to reach the quarter-finals
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REUTERS
The 22-year-old noted he was happy with his first serves, a part of his game he has been working on.
The improved delivery helped carry Alcaraz to a sixth slam title at the US Open last summer.
He averaged 70 per cent first serves against Paul, just a touch higher than his mark for the tournament as a whole.
He said: “I’m surprising myself. The serve is something that I’ve been working on since a long time ago. I’m just really happy to see the improvement of the serve.”
Alcaraz is set to face either home favourite Alex De Minaur or Alexander Bublik in Melbourne
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He added: “After every set, I try to check (the statistics) out. The four matches I’ve played, the serve has been a really important weapon for me.”
Alcaraz is set to face either home favourite Alex De Minaur or Alexander Bublik in Melbourne.
It is the third year in a row he has reached the last eight.
In the previous two tournaments, he had been knocked out by Alexander Zverev and Novak Djokovic.
