Carlos Alcaraz has defeated Tommy Paul in straight sets (6-4, 6-3, 6-4) at the US Open to reach the quarterfinals and remain on track for back-to-back titles. Alcaraz extended his major match-winning streak to 18 with a dominant performance after being out since April with a wrist injury. He will face either Ben Shelton or Stefanos Tsitsipas in the next round, having hit top form in New York. The win included 33 winners for Alcaraz, including a blistering 164km/h forehand winner that he described as showing him back to "full power".
Written by the local model on 2026-09-07,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Here's a summary of the news stories about the US Open tennis tournament:
- Taylor Fritz was cruising to win his third-round match against Francisco Cerundolo, leading 2-0 in sets, but suffered an epic collapse, losing 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, 4-6, 4-6 (Article 7).
- Coco Gauff and Alexander Zverev both advanced to the last 16 of the tournament, with Gauff beating Elena Rybakina in a three-set match (Article 5).
- In other matches, Naomi Osaka overcame a mental and physical battle to outlast Elise Mertens in a three-setter (Article 5), while Iga Swiatek and Mirra Andreeva also reached the last 16 (Article 6).
- Frances Tiafoe beat Medvedev in a thrilling match on Louis Armstrong Stadium, coming from behind to win 7-6(3), 4-6, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 (Article 8).
- In other men's matches, Andrey Rublev was beaten by Holger Rune, while Stefanos Tsitsipas lost to Jannik Sinner (Article 5).
Overall, the tournament has been marked by upsets and close matches, with many top players advancing to the last 16.
Written for “US Open Tennis Tournament” on 2026-09-07,
grounded in this article and the 18 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
This article does not take a side on a contested political
question, so it has no leaning score. That is an
answer rather than a gap: a match report or a rescue can be warmly
or critically written without being left or right, and scoring it
anyway is how approval of a subject gets recorded as a political
position.
No political leaning scored for article 6168 · logged 2026-09-07
In short:
Carlos Alcaraz says he feels like he is back to full power after beating Tommy Paul in straight sets in the US Open fourth round.
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he → say → round
Alcaraz, the defending champion in New York, had been out since April with a wrist injury.
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Alcaraz → defend → injury
Alcaraz will face Ben Shelton or Stefanos Tsitsipas in the quarters.
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Alcaraz → face → quarters
Carlos Alcaraz has beaten American 20th seed Tommy Paul 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 to reach the quarterfinals of the US Open and remain firmly on track for back-to-back titles at Flushing Meadows.
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Alcaraz → beat → Meadows
The seven-time grand slam champion has hit top form in New York after nearly five months out with a right wrist injury and extended his major match-winning streak to 18 with a stunning display of shot-making.
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champion → hit → making
It included a blistering 164km/h forehand winner down the line as he established an advantage early in the second set on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
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he → include → Stadium
For a man who missed the past two slams and has been out since April due to a wrist injury, an ailment that had ended or stunted multiple tennis careers, it was an indicator that he is back to "full power".
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he → miss → power
It was one of 33 winners for Alcaraz, including another rocket of a forehand to bring up match point at a venue where he has thrived ever since his maiden major triumph four years ago.
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he → include → triumph
"I think so," Alcaraz said when asked about being back to his best in New York, where he has reached the quarterfinals in five of his six appearances now.
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he → think → appearances
"It shows how special this place is to me.
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place → show → me
I'm just trying to enjoy my time on the court, so it probably doesn't matter that I was out for four and a half months.
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I → try → months
"Every time I come here, I play my best."
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I → come → best
Despite the scoreline, Alcaraz was pushed by the speed demon on the other side of the net, with Paul pulling out his second around-the-post winner of the tournament.
The Spaniard was unfazed.
"I think I just played my game," Alcaraz said.
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Alcaraz → push → game
"I tried to play to my style.
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I → try → style
Tommy's such a talented player and his shots are pretty dangerous and it's difficult to control the ball when it comes to you.
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it → control → you
"I was trying to be aggressive all the time …
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I → try → ?
I did well to put pressure on his return, which helped me stay calm and to think clearly.
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me → do → return
"
Even with much of the showcourt crowd yearning for a home winner, second seed Alcaraz continued to steal the show with his audacious play and moved to the brink of improving his win-loss record against American players at the grand slams to 13-0.
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Alcaraz → yearn → 13
After shifting down to cruise mode, Alcaraz briefly flinched at the finish line, but he regrouped to deliver the knockout blow and set up a meeting with American Ben Shelton or Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas in the next round.
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he → shift → round
On the other side of the draw, Frances Tiafoe was taking on Daniil Medvedev to try and set up an all-American quarterfinal with Alex Michelsen.
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Tiafoe → take → Michelsen
The 22-year-old beat 27th-seeded Argentinian Tomas Martin Etcheverry 7-6(8/6), 6-4, 6-4 in their fourth-round clash.
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old → beat → clash
