Carlos Alcaraz advanced to his first Australian Open semifinals with a 7-5, 6-2, 6-1 victory over home favorite Alex de Minaur on January 27, 2026. The world No. 1 has not dropped a set in the tournament and now faces Alexander Zverev next. Alcaraz's win keeps his bid for a career Grand Slam alive.
In a match played at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Carlos Alcaraz demonstrated patience and power to defeat Alex de Minaur in straight sets during the quarterfinals of the 2026 Australian Open. The Spaniard, seeded No. 1, started strongly by breaking early to lead 3-0 in the first set, but de Minaur fought back with his speed and defense, breaking twice to level the score. Tension peaked at 5-6 when de Minaur received a time violation warning before serving. Alcaraz showed sportsmanship by approaching the umpire, stating, "I wasn’t ready. I wasn’t there," which led to the warning being withdrawn. However, the incident disrupted de Minaur's rhythm, and he lost the set 7-5 after Alcaraz converted his fourth set point on a net cord winner.
Alcaraz then dominated the second and third sets, breaking early in each and winning 6-2, 6-1 in a total of two hours and 15 minutes. This victory extends Alcaraz's perfect 6-0 head-to-head record against de Minaur, who has now lost all seven of his Grand Slam quarterfinal appearances. "It’s really difficult," Alcaraz said post-match. "Alex puts you in a rush all the time... I was more patient until the end of the match."
De Minaur expressed frustration afterward, saying, "I’m playing out of my comfort zone... For me to take that next step, I’ve got to be comfortable in playing that sort of way for the whole match." Alcaraz, who previously reached the quarterfinals in 2024 and 2025 but fell short, now eyes history as the youngest man to complete the career Grand Slam. He will rematch Zverev in the semifinals on January 30, their head-to-head tied at 6-6, with Zverev having won their 2024 quarterfinal encounter here. Alcaraz has won 15 straight sets in the tournament and reached his 10th Grand Slam semifinal before age 23.
