Alcaraz defeats Paul 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 on September 6 to reach US Open quarterfinals

Carlos Alcaraz defeated 20th-seeded Tommy Paul 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 on September 6 in the fourth round at the US Open, advancing to the quarterfinals in his fourth competitive match since returning from a four-and-a-half-month right wrist injury absence. Alcaraz has dropped only one set through four rounds at the tournament and extended his Grand Slam winning streak to 18 matches, per ESPN and BBC Sport. Alcaraz missed the French Open and Wimbledon earlier in the summer due to the wrist injury. In his comeback, he broke Paul's serve in the 10th game of the opening set to take it 6-4. During the third set, with Alcaraz serving for the match at 5-4, Paul had two break points, but Alcaraz hit four consecutive winners to seal the victory, per BBC Sport. Alcaraz's cross-court forehand was measured at 103 mph early in the second set, according to BBC Sport. "Except one year since 2021, I made at least the quarter-finals here. That means how special this place is to me, how good I'm playing every time I come here. I'm just trying to enjoy my time on the court. So it probably doesn't matter that I was out for four months and a half. Every time that I come here, I play my best." When asked if he believes he is back to form, per ESPN, Alcaraz said: "I think so. It feels like I've been competing the whole time. So, I surprise myself the way that I'm feeling and the way that I'm recovering after every match. So, I'm just really happy about it that I'm able to perform at my best after every match." Alcaraz noted that he is planning to take more strategic breaks within the tennis season going forward, per ESPN. Paul acknowledged the gap in level after the match: "It sucks, you know? It felt like he's playing at a completely different level than me, which is, like I said in the beginning, I could have played a lot better and still lost that match," per the Guardian. Paul also said, per the Guardian: "Carlos is different, I guess. It's impressive to take time off like that and come back and feel, play as good as he has. I wouldn't be able to do it, for sure." Alcaraz's serve has progressively improved throughout the tournament. The Guardian reports that his serve started the tournament "slower, inconsistent and imprecise" and "has improved with each round in speed and precision." Tim Henman told Sky Sports, per BBC Sport: "When you haven't played tennis for four weeks, it seems a lot and you can be a bit rusty. This is four and a half months. If you would have given Alcaraz a blank piece of paper at the beginning of the tournament and asked how he'd want the first four matches to go, he would have scripted it exactly like that. He's had a few slightly challenging moments but, in the important moments, he's just come up with incredible tennis. That's got to give him so much confidence moving forward." Alcaraz's quarter-final opponent will be either eighth seed Ben Shelton or Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas. Alcaraz has never lost to either at Tour level, beating Shelton three times and Tsitsipas on six occasions, per BBC Sport. However, Jeff Tarango told BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra: "If Shelton were to come through, he is the kind of player that can knock the racquet out of your hand. It's going to be a real test to see how Alcaraz's wrist is with a 149mph serve coming to that forehand, but Alcaraz should get through Shelton if his wrist is fine." In other fourth-round results, Aryna Sabalenka defeated Taylor Townsend 6-4, 6-3, advancing to face sixth-seeded Linda Noskova, per the Guardian. Noskova defeated 11th seed Marta Kostyuk 7-5, 5-7, 6-4 after recovering from squandering double match point at 5-4 in the second set and clinching her sixth match point, per the Guardian. Frances Tiafoe defeated 2021 champion Daniil Medvedev 7-6 (7-1), 6-4, 7-6 (8-6), saving a set point in the third-set tie-break, per BBC Sport. Tiafoe, the 11th seed, has won all 10 of his Louis Armstrong Stadium matches and will face American Alex Michelsen, 22, who defeated Argentina's Tomas Martin Etcheverry 7-6 (8-6), 6-4, 6-4 to reach his first Grand Slam quarterfinal, per BBC Sport.