Carlos Alcaraz continued his quest for a career Grand Slam with a comprehensive straight-sets victory in the third round on Friday.
The top seed brushed aside France’s Corentin Moutet 6-2, 6-4, 6-1, in what was his 100th Grand Slam match. Coincidentally, Moutet was bidding to claim his 100th Tour-level win. Alcaraz hit a total of 30 winners against 20 unforced errors and dropped serve twice en route to victory.
Coming into this year’s tournament, the world No.1 opted not to play a warm-up event, which is something others, such as Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic, also chose to do. His only taste of competition was an exhibition event in South Korea earlier this month, as well as the 1 Point slam event. Despite this, Alcaraz is confident about his current form.
“My level is getting better and better,” he said. “Corentin, I think he isn’t a player who plays with so much rhythm in the match with dropshots and slices.
“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.”
Yet to drop a set in three matches played at Melbourne Park, Alcaraz is gearing up for what on paper should be his biggest test so far – 19th seed Tommy Paul.
It is the third year in a row that Paul will play Alcaraz at a Grand Slam event. He lost both of their meetings at Wimbledon in 2024 and the French Open last year. Although he did manage to take a set off him at the All England Club.
“He’s a great player,” Alcaraz said of the American.
“I know what I have to do, but he’s really fast. He has great shots as well.
“I got to play my tennis, my good shots if I want to beat him.
“I know I’m going to suffer and I have to be ready for that. I have to accept the tough moments that are gonna be in the match.”
As for the chances of causing a shock win, 2023 Australian Open semi-finalist Paul believes his mentality will be a key factor in the upcoming match.
“He’s (Alcaraz) the standard that everyone’s trying to catch up to right now,” Paul commented.
“But you have to go into that with excitement, be ready to face that, be ready to bring your best level and 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.”
Alcatraz currently has a win-loss record of 87-13 at Grand Slam events in his career.
