World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz warns he’s getting ‘better and better’ at Australian Open
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Spain's Carlos Alcaraz in action during his third round match against France's Corentin Moutet.
REUTERS
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MELBOURNE – An ominous Carlos Alcaraz warned that he was getting “better and better” after sweeping into the Australian Open last 16 on Jan 23.
The Spanish top seed wasted little energy in his 100th Grand Slam tennis match with a 6-2, 6-4, 6-1 mauling of French showman Corentin Moutet.
It thrust him into a clash with American 19th seed Tommy Paul, who progressed when Spanish opponent Alejandro Davidovich Fokina retired hurt while trailing 6-1, 6-1.
“I think my level is getting better and better,” said six-time Grand Slam winner Alcaraz. “Obviously today, Corentin I think he isn’t a player who plays with so much rhythm in the match, with drop shots, slices.
“So sometimes it’s tricky to get a good rhythm, which I think today I just got whatever I could, which I’m really happy about. I’m excited to keep it going.”
Alcaraz has never gone past the last eight in his four previous trips to Melbourne Park, with the Australian Open the only Grand Slam missing from his burgeoning collection.
The 22-year-old will become the youngest man to win all four Majors should he push on and make his breakthrough.
The victory came in his 100th Slam match, with Alcaraz having a remarkable 87-13 win-loss Major record – matching the legendary Bjorn Borg at the same stage of his career.
He now faces Paul, who Alcaraz said had “great shots, good hands as well”, on Jan 25.
“So I’ve got to play my style. I got to play my tennis, my good shots if I want to beat him,” he added.
“Obviously I know I’m going to suffer... I have to be ready for that, and I have to accept the tough moments that are going to be in the match.”
Left-hander Moutet had never beaten a world No. 1 and never looked like doing so on centre court.
Alcaraz was quickly into his stride, breaking Moutet in the opening game before holding for 2-0.
The Frenchman got into gear with a hold in the next game, but was largely a bystander as Alcaraz raced through the set in 35 minutes.
An immediate break for Alcaraz set the tone for the second set. But Moutet reeled off four straight games from 0-3 down, throwing in some underarm serves, drop shots and tweeners for good measure.
Alcaraz steadied the ship and took the set before barely breaking sweat in the third.
After the win, the Spaniard joked that he grew weary of retrieving Moutet’s drop shots.
“I was tired to go forward to the net. I was looking at the screen... I (saw) I’ve been to the net like 55 times, oh my god. I thought we were in a drop-shot competition – but definitely he won,” he said.
Meanwhile, Alexander Zverev, beaten by Jannik Sinner in the 2025 final, dropped a set for the third match running before easing past Briton Cameron Norrie 7-5, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1.
The German third seed will next play Argentinian Francisco Cerundolo, who stunned Russian 13th seed Andrey Rublev 6-3, 7-6 (7-4), 6-3 to reach the fourth round of the event for the first time.
Three-time finalist Daniil Medvedev will renew his rivalry with rising star Learner Tien in another last-16 match to watch, with the Russian saying: “I don’t like to play him, but he must hate to play me as well.”
Medvedev booked the clash after battling through 6-7 (5-7), 4-6, 7-5, 6-0, 6-3 in 3hr 43min against Fabian Marozsan of Hungary. American Tien kept up his end of the bargain by beating Portugal’s Nuno Borges in straight sets.
The 20-year-old Tien and former No. 1 Medvedev met three times in 2025, with the younger man winning twice. That included a five-set marathon in the first round of the Australian Open, when Tien was a teenage qualifier.
Medvedev, 29, is expecting “long, brutal rallies” in the match on Jan 25.
“I’m going to try to enjoy the game of tennis. Of course, try to do my best to maybe surprise him somewhere,” said the Australian Open runner-up in 2021, 2022 and 2024. AFP, REUTERS
