Carlos Alcaraz reaches fourth round of Australian Open | ATP tour | Tennis

Australian Open

Alcaraz dazzles Melbourne and rolls into Australian Open R4

The Spaniard joins Borg in a piece of tennis history after the 100th major match
January 23, 2026

Carlos Alcaraz treated the Melbourne crowd to a highlight reel on Friday, recording a 6-2, 6-4, 6-1 victory against Corentin Moutet to reach the fourth round of the Australian Open.

If the best player feels any pressure to chase his first Australian Open title and a Career Grand Slam, the Spaniard isn’t showing it. Alcaraz played with confidence and freedom from the baseline, culminating in an excellent tweener on the second point of the second set, a 16-ball exchange that brought the fans in Rod Laver Arena to life.

After leading 3-0 in the second set, Alcaraz dropped four straight games but quickly regrouped and earned a crucial break at 4-4 to serve for a two-set lead to love. The world number 1 in the PIF ATP rankings raced to a double break lead in the third set and put the finishing touches to advance after two hours and five minutes.

“It wasn’t easy,” Alcaraz said. “When you play against someone like Corentin, you don’t know what the next step is going to be. That’s really hard to approach the game, but I had so much fun on the court. I think we both made great shots, great points. I think there were a few highlights in the game. I’m grateful to be able to play games like this against him.”

With his win, Alcaraz improved to 87-13 at Slam level, tying Bjorn Borg for the best major record after 100 matches. The 22-year-old, a six-time major champion, reached the quarter-finals in Melbourne twice.

Another day, another milestone 🌟

In his 100th Grand Slam match @carlosalcaraz defeats Moutet 6-2, 6-4, 6-1 to return to the fourth round.@AustraliaOpen | #AO26 pic.twitter.com/akcFw0Jjm8

— ATP tour (@atptour) January 23, 2026

Next up for Alcaraz is 19th seed Tommy Paul, who advanced after Alejandro Davidovich stopped Fokina with the American ahead 6-1, 6-1. The Spaniard called the physio due to a problem with his left leg in the second set. Alcaraz leads Paul 5-2 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

“We have great fights against each other,” Alcaraz said of his clashes with Paul, a 2023 Melbourne semifinalist. “It’s always very difficult to play against him. He plays great tennis on hard courts, with that flat backhand that he cuts a lot, aggressively and with a great touch. It’s going to be a really interesting one.”

In three matches these two weeks, Alcaraz has not yet lost a set. Against the left-handed Moutet, the Spaniard hit the ball from both wings to hammer 30 winners, several of which went past shots from the net-storming Frenchman. Moutet showed flashes of his best tennis and produced his own magic with excellent tweeners and feel around the net, adding a touch of entertainment despite the defeat.

“I thought we were in a drop shot match,” Alcaraz joked. “Sure, he won.”