Tennis News

Alcaraz passes Paul test to book Australian Open QF spot

Carlos Alcaraz faced the sternest test of his 2026 Australian Open so far on Sunday afternoon, but the No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings overcame the challenge of Tommy Paul to maintain his commanding start to the hard-court major in Melbourne.

Alcaraz overcame 19th seed Paul 7-6(6), 6-4, 7-5 with a fourth-round performance packed with explosive shotmaking to improve to 12-0 in sets played so far this fortnight. Paul, owner of two Lexus ATP Head2Head victories against the Spaniard, quickly showcased the threat he posed by opening a 4-2 lead early inside Rod Laver Arena. Yet Alcaraz soon recovered and produced some scintillating tennis to reach his third consecutive Australian Open quarter-final.

World No. 1 things 🔥@carlosalcaraz defeats Paul 7-6(6), 6-4, 7-5 to return to the quarter-finals.@AustralianOpen | #AO26 pic.twitter.com/cnTEtNaIuS

— ATP Tour (@atptour) January 25, 2026

“I think he started pretty strong. In the first game, serving, I thought I played a good game, but he came with really strong shots, really flat, and for me it was a bit difficult,” said Alcaraz in his on-court interview. “But I stayed there all the time and I knew I was going to have my chances, and I tried to take them. I think I did that.

“Overall, I think it was a really high level of tennis from both sides, but I’m just really happy that I got it in straight sets.”

The 22-year-old top seed fired 35 winners, according to Infosys Stats, en route to sealing a last-eight meeting with home favourite Alex de Minaur or Alexander Bublik at Melbourne Park. With his two-hour, 44-minute victory, Alcaraz also stayed on track to become the youngest man to complete the Career Grand Slam (winning the singles title at all four majors). The current holder of that record is his countryman Rafael Nadal.

In a tight first set, Alcaraz had to fight back from the early break deficit as 2023 semi-finalist Paul went toe to toe with the powerful Spaniard from the baseline. In the subsequent tie-break, Paul fired a backhand down the line to fend off a set point at 5/6 that proved to be one of the highlights of the match, but the American quickly undermined that effort by gifting Alcaraz the set with a double fault at 6/7.

With the momentum firmly in his favour, Alcaraz rode a purple patch to clinch a break of serve in the third game of the second set. The 24-time tour-level titlist produced a series of winners off his forehand in particular that had the Rod Laver Arena crowd gasping at the combination of spin and sheer velocity.

Paul, who won five of his first seven matches this season after not competing for the final three months of the 2025 season due to injury, continued to battle in trademark fashion in pursuit of his fifth Grand Slam quarter-final. However, although the 28-year-old did not lack moments of quality of his own, he was unable to sustain any real pressure on Alcaraz once the first set was gone.

After saving three break points to hold serve for 2-1 in the third game of the third set, Paul was unable to repeat the escape in the 11th game. Alcaraz crucially claimed his third break of the match before serving out to improve to 6-2 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Paul.

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When Djokovic wins the first set, it all adds up to big trouble for opponents

During the Australian Open, ATPTour.com will bring fans insight into the leaders of key statistical categories, showing how performances throughout 2025 all added up to successful seasons and the promise of more good times ahead in 2026.

Novak Djokovic’s 2025 season offered a masterclass in ruthless efficiency: when he wins the first set, he finishes the job.

Across the year, he posted a spotless 30-0 record in matches where he claimed the opening set, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index. That consistency is a testament to focus, composure and match intelligence when under pressure, qualities that have been instrumental in Djokovic’s storied career.

What makes the Serbian’s 2025 performance when taking the first set even more impressive is that it’s merely the latest chapter in a long-standing trend. In 2024, Djokovic went an astonishing 35-0 himself when winning the first set and, including his first three victories at the 2026 Australian Open, he has now won his past 87 matches when winning the opener.

The last time he dropped a match after winning the first set was his epic five-set Wimbledon final defeat to Carlos Alcaraz in 2023.

Novak Djokovic’s record when winning the first set 2023-2025

Beyond the numbers, this streak reveals the core of Djokovic’s ability: once he grabs the lead, his mental and physical rhythm stays locked in. In tight moments, when opponents try to claw back, he rarely falters, and his rock-solid baseline game is a huge part of why he has spent a record 428 weeks at No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings. It’s the kind of longevity that is built on consistency, match after match, season after season.

Djokovic’s record when winning the first set speaks to a champion who seizes the moment the instant he gets an edge. One who doesn’t merely win sets, but locks in, executes and closes out until the job is done.

See all stories in this series

Visit our Infosys ATP Stats section for more insights.

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Learner Tien: Why 'the sky is the limit' for the American star

Learner Tien entered qualifying at the 2025 Australian Open as the No. 121 player in the PIF ATP Rankings and still relatively under the radar. In his first-round qualifying match, the lefty needed to survive a second-set tie-break against Gregoire Barrere to avoid losing in straight sets at his first major outside the US Open.

Two weeks later, Tien was very much a known commodity at Melbourne Park, having reached the fourth round of the main draw with the highlight being a scintillating five-set performance against former World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev in the second round.

Tien had already won three ATP Challengers to reach his ranking. But puzzling Medvedev, known for stymying most players on the ATP Tour, was the biggest moment of his young career. A year earlier, Medvedev had been a set away from lifting the trophy Down Under, and suddenly he was flummoxed by a 19-year-old lefty standing 5’11”.

Was it unexpected at the time? Sure. But 52 weeks later, Tien is in an entirely new position. The reigning Next Gen ATP Finals champion is 5-4 against Top-10 opposition and three weeks removed from a career-high No. 26 in the world. The Medvedev victory was clearly no fluke. In fact, the 20-year-old will have a chance to upset Medvedev once more Sunday on the very same court where he completed his stunner at 2:54 a.m.

“Much different circumstances this year than last year. A year later, I think I’m a lot more mature as a person and a player,” Tien told ATPTour.com. “I think just being on my own a lot more for the past year I’ve become a lot more independent and I think I’ve just gotten more used to the life, traveling more on my own and I think because of that I’ve grown a lot as a person as much as I have as a player.”

With players like Tien and Joao Fonseca taking the ATP Tour by storm at such an early age, it is easy to forget how young they really are. Tien is still a 20-year-old who would have been in college at the University of Southern California, where he played for one semester, had he not turned professional early. He would have been in class with his friends and living the life of a typical college student.

Instead, Tien is traveling the world entertaining millions of fans and battling throughout the year against the biggest stars in the sport.

“I think gradually I’ve started to accept that this is my life and hopefully this will be my life for years to come,” Tien said. “It’s been gradual, I’ve been getting used to it. I wouldn’t say that I woke up one morning and I suddenly felt like this is my life and everything was integrated into my life. But I think gradually over the past year I’ve come to terms with this [being] the new normal and I’ve accepted that.”

The “new normal” on the court really began in Melbourne. Tien’s fourth-round showing was simply a sign of things to come. The only difference is that the lefty now carries lessons learned from his first full season on the ATP Tour, especially after bringing former World No. 2 Michael Chang onto his team in the middle of last season.

“I think I’m better all around. I wouldn’t say I’m playing drastically differently,” Tien said. “I would like to think I’m a bit less of a pusher now, maybe. I think the year’s worth of experience has been good for me and I think I’ve obviously improved a lot, but I wouldn’t say I’m a totally different player.”

One of the reasons Tien was so comfortable competing against such high-level players early in his career is that he has been around top players for much of his tennis life. When the American conducted his post-match media interviews Friday, one of his stops was at ESPN, where former World No. 11 Sam Querrey was at the desk.

Producers rolled old footage of a young Tien hitting balls with Querrey. Learner would be around Querrey and Steve Johnson in Carson from before he was a teen. 

“Sam and I started hitting with him maybe when he was 12 or 13, and he’d always just be either on one side or in a corner,” Johnson said. “Even at that age you could just tell that there was something different because our ball didn’t affect him the way it would most 12, 13 years old kids. His timing was incredible.” 

Johnson raved about Tien as a person. Yes, the former World No. 21 was — and still is — very impressed by his physical tennis skills. But he was more in awe of how Tien carried himself around professionals at such a young age.

“He always just seemed to be enjoying the moment when he was out there even at Carson at a young age. There were a lot of times where it probably wasn’t that fun for him as just a young kid doing whatever Sam and I needed him to do,” Johnson said. “But we could tell there was something different about the way he struck the ball, his movement and just his demeanour. He always was quiet, but positive, never negative and would just take whatever you gave him and would give it back most of the time with interest.” 

By the time Tien was 15 or 16 years old, he began playing baseline points with Johnson and Querrey, longtime pros who were still competing at the top of the sport.

“It all almost felt relatively 50-50 at that point. That’s how good he was,” Johnson recalled. “We got the serve involved and that was going to be a little tough for him at that age, but that just comes with the territory. 

“He was such a good striker of the tennis ball and can’t wait to see what he has in the future. He’s already accomplished so much in his young career and the sky is the limit, especially with Michael [Chang] on the bag. Now he’s just going to leave no stone unturned. His work ethic is incredible. I watch him work and every time I see him — he comes by LA every couple months — I watch him practise and play, and something impresses me every time he’s back that he just continually gets better and better.”

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Doubles partners Jovic and Mboko leading teen disruptors

North American teenagers Iva Jovic and Victoria Mboko are through to the fourth round of the Australian Open for the first time.

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'In heat of moment' – Djokovic avoids another Slam default

Ten-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic reaches the fourth round – but was he “three inches” from being disqualified?

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5 Live Sport: All About… Australian Open

Gigi, Russell and Pat Cash review the action from day seven of the Australian Open.

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Two-time champion Osaka withdraws shortly before match

Two-time champion Naomi Osaka withdraws from the Australian Open shortly before she was due to play home qualifier Maddison Inglis.

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Djokovic saves set points, reaches Australian Open R4 as Melbourne milestones mount

Novak Djokovic edged a step closer to a potential blockbuster semi-final clash with Jannik Sinner at the Australian Open on Saturday, ticking off a series of historic milestones along the way.

The record 10-time champion was made to work in his 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(4) win over Botic van de Zandschulp, but showed supreme composure to book his place in the fourth round at Melbourne Park for the 18th time in 21 appearances. The victory marked Djokovic’s 400th match win at a major — the most by any player in the Open Era — and his 102nd at the Australian Open, drawing him level with Roger Federer’s all-time tournament record.

“It’s been a great start to the tournament,” Djokovic said when asked about his fitness. “But I’m not getting ahead of myself. I learned a lesson last year, I got too ahead of myself too early in some of the Grand Slams. I’m trying to give these young guys a push for their money. I’m still around. I’m hanging in there.”

Yet Another Milestone 👏@DjokerNole #AO26 pic.twitter.com/GG4rFEjdqI

— ATP Tour (@atptour) January 24, 2026

The No. 4 player in the PIF ATP Rankings, Djokovic will next face Jakub Mensik after the Czech beat Ethan Quinn 6-2, 7-6(5), 7-6(5) to reach the fourth round at the major for the first time. Djokovic, who is 1-1 against Mensik in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series, is now just two wins away from a potential semi-final clash with two-time defending champion Sinner, who earlier overcame cramp to secure his own spot in the fourth round.

“Obviously Alcaraz and Sinner are the two best players in the world,” said Djokovic. “They’re playing at a different level than all of us right now, but when you enter the court and the ball rolls, you always have a chance, particularly here on the court that has given me the most in my career.”

Having lost to Van de Zandschulp at Indian Wells last year, Djokovic was aware of the need for a fast start, and he delivered it. He struck 12 winners to just seven unforced errors in the opening set and saved the only break point he faced, according to Infosys Stats.

Van de Zandschulp required a medical timeout to treat his right shoulder after falling behind 0-3 in the second set and briefly took advantage of a rare lapse in concentration from Djokovic. The fourth seed quickly wrestled back control, but he took a tumble in the third game of the third set and took a medical timeout of his own.

Although he dropped serve in the ensuing game, Djokovic battled back and saved two set points at 5-6 before eventually closing out a hard-fought win to improve to 2-1 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with the Dutchman after two hours, 44 minutes.

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Could Harrison & Skupski be the new star doubles team of 2026?

The beginning of the year is more than just the start of the season for some doubles players. It is a pivotal moment for the debut of new partnerships.

One of the key new teams in 2026 is Christian Harrison and Neal Skupski, both of whom competed in the 2025 Nitto ATP Finals with different partners — Harrison with Evan King and Skupski with Joe Salisbury.

“Really happy with how things are progressing with Christian,” Skupski said. “Christian came to Baton Rouge for a week’s training in the offseason, so that was the first step of getting to know each other a bit better on the tennis court, work on a few things together and just to make sure it wasn’t out of the blue when we came together in Australia.”

The partners decided to play United Cup, which allowed them to train together in Perth despite competing for different countries.

“That was another great week of practice together. Adelaide was good, we got three matches in against good teams and then we’ve come here with confidence,” Skupski said. “I think we’re playing well. I think there are definitely areas to improve on, but it’s a Grand Slam. It’s too late to work on these things right now.

“We’re just going to go with the flow, which seems to be working at the moment. We know each other’s strengths, so we’re trying to use them. But very happy with the first two rounds.”

Harrison and Skupski made the Adelaide semi-finals in their first tournament together, only falling short to 2024 Nitto ATP Finals champions Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz. The sixth seeds are through two rounds at the Australian Open and will play Tallon Griekspoor and Botic van de Zandschulp for a place in the quarter-finals.

“It’s nice that we’ve been able to start out on the right foot. We put in a lot of practice time — as much as we could — considering we weren’t going to spend a lot of time with each other until we got to the tournaments,” Harrison said. “But it’s nice that we’ve been able to work through and figure out how our games are going to match up together.”

Skupski explained that he and Harrison are still “learning on the job” and focusing on communicating well throughout and after matches. They have been “very open” with one another to help expedite the process of growing as a team.

“It’s something that I’m very excited about this year,” Skupski said. “I think we can do a good job and we can be successful. It’s the start of something hopefully over a long period of time. Looking forward to a long success with Christian.

Harrison said: “There are always nerves early on with a new partnership like that because you know both of you are accomplished and you just want to find the best way to make your team work as efficiently as it can.

“We’ve known each other for a long time, and look to build a good playing, off-court relationship together and just enjoy playing the tennis and the matches.”

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Tommy Paul & Paige Lorenze launch foundation: 'We need to be giving back'

Tommy Paul is making his way through the Australian Open draw, advancing to the fourth round at Melbourne Park for the third time in four years. But the American is leaving his mark off the court, too.

Paul and fiancee Paige Lorenze recently announced the creation of the Kids Outdoors Foundation, which creates opportunities for kids without the financial means to play sports to do so.

“Our goal is to encourage kids to get outdoors and play sports,” Paul told ATPTour.com. “The more programmes and kids we are able to support the better.”

Paul has been a fixture towards the top of the ATP Tour for years, reaching No. 8 in the PIF ATP Rankings last year. Lorenze is now a content creator, but she used to be a competitive downhill ski racer and now enjoys horseback riding. They want to ensure kids have the same opportunities they have.

“I think it’s super important, especially for people like me and Paige,” Paul said. “Sports have put us in the position that we’re in right now. We need to be giving back and I’m excited to start doing this and really getting it going, especially in South Florida and Eastern North Carolina, where I came from.

“There’s not too much tennis really going on there. So anything I can do to really push that forward and bring it back is exciting.”

The Kids Outdoors Foundation will fund pre-existing programmes that give kids access to sports with high financial barriers, like tennis, skiing and horseback riding and also create new opportunities. The goal is to fund nonprofit organisations that are already doing great work for kids in the community to help increase their impact.

Paul did not compete after last year’s US Open due to a foot injury. That period away from the court helped the American turn his attention to how he could give back.

“I would say it’s something that I’ve wanted do for a while,” Paul said. “The break that I had — the amount of time that I had off — provided us with the time needed to get it up and running.”

Paul will take on World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz Sunday for a place in the quarter-finals. The Spaniard leads their Lexus ATP Head2Head series 5-2.

“It’s always an interesting matchup. Always a great challenge playing Carlos. He can really do anything on the court. Lightning fast. He’s like the standard that everyone’s trying to catch up to right now,” Paul said in a press conference after his third-round match in Melbourne. “But you’ve got to go into that with excitement, be ready to face that, be ready to bring your best level, believe in yourself.

“That’s something that I bring to the table every time I play Carlos. I believe I can win every time I go out there. Without that, you’re going out there with no purpose.”

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