The world's number one tennis player, Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, will play in the semifinals of the Australian Open for the first time in his career.
In the quarterfinals, the world number one defeated tournament host Alex De Minaur in three sets — 7:5, 6:2, 6:1. Since the beginning of the season, Alcaraz has played all five matches at the Australian Open — and has not lost a single game.
The top seed's match with De Minor was competitive only in the first game, which lasted almost an hour. The Australian fought back from 0:3 and maintained parity at 5:5, claiming a tiebreak, before he failed to hold his own serve and lost the set 5:7.
However, in the other two sets, Alcaraz left no chance for his opponent, winning both of the Australian's break points, making two breaks in each game, and closing the match after 2:18 hours on the court.
“I'm very happy with the level I've been playing every match since the first round. I've been raising my level in every match. […] I felt very comfortable today, I played great tennis,” Carlos was quoted as saying by ATP.
The Australian Open remained the last major in which Alcaraz never reached the semifinals. The Spaniard won each of the other three Grand Slams twice, including defending his Roland Garros title last season and triumphing at the US Open.
Carlos needs two wins to complete a “career Grand Slam” with titles in all four tournaments in the series. His next opponent is third-seeded German Alexander Zverev, who defeated American Lerner Tin in four sets in the quarterfinals.
Alcaraz and Zverev had a head-to-head match at the 2024 Australian Open, with the German celebrating a four-set victory in the quarterfinals. In head-to-head meetings, the rivals are tied at 6:6 in terms of match wins.
Alcaraz's main rival, the second-ranked and reigning Australian Open champion Yannick Sinner, with whom the Spaniard played the finals of three 2025 Grand Slams, will play eighth-seeded Ben Shelton in his quarterfinal on Wednesday, January 28.