Last Updated:
Two-time women’s defending champion Aryna Sabalenka also advanced, booking a last-eight date with Wimbledon winner Linda Noskova.
Carlos Alcaraz celebrates after win in Round of 16 match. (Picture Credit: AP)
Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz posted his most convincing win in his injury return at the US Open, downing Tommy Paul in straight sets on Sunday to line up a quarter-final clash with Ben Shelton.
Two-time women’s defending champion Aryna Sabalenka also advanced, booking a last-eight date with Wimbledon winner Linda Noskova.
Second-seeded Alcaraz, playing his first tournament since he was sidelined by a right wrist injury in April, looked closer to his brilliant best in a 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Paul, the 20th-seeded American who posed the Spaniard’s sternest test yet.
“I played my game,” said Alcaraz, who unleashed 33 winners as he moved fluidly around the court, thwarting Paul at every turn in the two-hour 20-minute match.
He’ll face red-hot Shelton — a 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 winner over Stefanos Tsitsipas — for a place in the semi-finals.
“I tried to play my style,” Alcaraz said. “Tommy is such a talented player. His shots are pretty dangerous and sometimes it’s really difficult to control the ball when it comes to you.
“I just tried to be ready for a battle and tried to be aggressive all the time.”
Shelton, who needed four sets in each of his first three matches, raised his game to dismantle former world number three Tsitsipas in just one hour and 52 minutes.
The American, riding high after a strong August that included a title at the ATP Montreal Masters, blasted a dozen aces and never faced a break point.
Sabalenka on track
Sabalenka kept her bid for a rare US Open three-peat on track with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over American Taylor Townsend.
The Belarusian, whose world number one ranking is on the line in New York, will face a tough quarter-final against sixth-ranked Czech Noskova, who edged dangerous Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk 7-5, 5-7, 6-4.
Noskova needed six match points to seal her victory over Kostyuk, failing to convert two in the second set.
American Frances Tiafoe, the 11th seed who has twice reached the semi-finals in Flushing Meadows, booked his quarter-final berth with a 7-6 (7/1), 6-4, 7-6 (8/6) victory over former champion Daniil Medvedev.
Tiafoe will face compatriot Alex Michelsen for a place in the semi-finals. Michelsen defeated Argentina’s Tomas Martin Etcheverry 7-6 (8/6), 6-4, 6-4.
Women’s third seed Jessica Pegula also advanced the US cause. Pegula, one of the players with a chance to supplant Sabalenka atop the rankings in New York, reached the last eight with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Romanian Sorana Cirstea.
She will play fellow American Emma Navarro, who defeated Anna Kalinskaya 6-4, 6-2.
(With inputs from AFP)
Quick Answers
Ask News18Carlos Alcaraz defeated Tommy Paul in straight sets (6-4, 6-3, 6-4) at the US Open 2026 to advance to the quarterfinals. This was Alcaraz’s most convincing win since returning from a right wrist injury in April.
Ask News18About the Author
Harshit Bisht is a sports journalist at CNN-News18, where he has been covering cricket, football, and major sporting events from around the world since July 1, 2024. Driven by a passion for storytelli…Read More
New York, United States of America (USA)
September 07, 2026, 09:41 IST
Read More
Source link
[ad_3]
