Carlos Alcaraz secured a straight-sets victory over Tommy Paul in the fourth round of the 2026 Australian Open, overcoming an early deficit to reach the quarterfinals. The match was marked by a mid-game interruption over Alcaraz's Whoop band and ongoing banter about his serve resembling Novak Djokovic's. Alcaraz now faces Alex de Minaur next.
On January 25, 2026, in Melbourne's Rod Laver Arena, world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz defeated 19th-seeded Tommy Paul 7-6(6), 6-4, 7-5, maintaining his perfect 12-0 record in sets at the tournament. The 22-year-old Spaniard faced a stern test, as Paul took a 4-2 lead in the first set with strong, flat shots. Alcaraz fought back, saving a set point in the tiebreak before Paul double-faulted to hand over the set. In the second set, Alcaraz broke early with powerful forehand winners, firing 35 in total according to Infosys Stats. He sealed the third set with another break in the 11th game, improving his head-to-head against Paul to 6-2 over two hours and 44 minutes. Post-match, Alcaraz said, “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 win keeps Alcaraz on course to become the youngest man to complete a Career Grand Slam, surpassing Rafael Nadal's record. The match was overshadowed when chair umpire Marija Cicaka interrupted play to order Alcaraz to remove his Whoop band from under his sweatband, citing ITF rules against in-match wear of performance trackers. Australian tennis legends Todd Woodbridge and Lleyton Hewitt criticized the decision, highlighting inconsistencies with WTA allowances. Woodbridge questioned, “Why can't you have your own data?” Whoop founder Will Ahmed responded on social media that the device is ITF-approved and poses no risk, with the company issuing a statement defending athletes' rights to personal health data. Aryna Sabalenka faced a similar order earlier that day. Separately, Alcaraz's new serve motion has drawn comparisons to Novak Djokovic's, sparking lighthearted banter. Djokovic joked about copyrights, messaging Alcaraz to pay tribute for every ace. Alcaraz replied in his on-court interview, “I have the contract over there,” adding that Djokovic texted, “You have to pay me for the serve.” Alcaraz praised Djokovic's serve for its accuracy and difficulty to read, noting, “It’s super accurate... really difficult to see it and to return it.” Stats show similarities: Alcaraz averaged 6.25 aces per match with a 68% first-serve rate, winning 74.5% of those points, while Djokovic averaged 10 aces with 85.3% win rate on first serves. Alcaraz advances to face Alex de Minaur, who beat Alexander Bublik 6-4, 6-1, 6-1. De Minaur said, “I am excited for a battle.” Djokovic progressed after Jakub Mensik retired before their match.
