Carlos Alcaraz continued his dominance over Tommy Paul by defeating the American 20th seed in straight sets (6-4, 6-3, 6-4) to advance to the US Open quarter-finals. This marks the sixth consecutive time Alcaraz has beaten Paul, showcasing his strong form on the court. The 23-year-old Spaniard, who had been sidelined for over four months due to a wrist injury, has now returned to top form and is making a strong case for his place among the sport's elite. Alcaraz is already the youngest man to complete a career grand slam, having won all four major tournaments—Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open—at least once. If he were to win the US Open again this year, he would become the first man in the open era to successfully defend major titles on all three surfaces: grass, clay, and hard. He has already triumphed on grass at Wimbledon in 2023 and 2024 and on clay at the French Open in 2024 and 2023. A victory in New York would complete his set of hard-court major titles. In his path to the quarter-finals, Alcaraz dropped only one set, demonstrating his consistency and control. He has now won 18 consecutive matches at Grand Slam tournaments, a testament to his current form. Alcaraz, who has won the last two Grand Slams—last year’s US Open and this year’s Australian Open—said after the match that he is back to "full power" and has reached the US Open quarter-finals every year since his debut in 2021. He also noted that he has not lost to either of his potential semifinal opponents, Ben Shelton or Stefanos Tsitsipas, having beaten Shelton three times and Tsitsipas six times on the ATP Tour. Tommy Paul, playing in front of a home crowd, fought valiantly but was ultimately outmatched by Alcaraz’s superior skill and composure. Paul had two break points when Alcaraz was serving for the match at 5-4 in the third set, but the Spaniard held his nerve and closed out the match with four consecutive points. This victory solidifies Alcaraz’s position as one of the top contenders for the US Open title, as he prepares to face either Shelton or Tsitsipas in the semifinals.