Carlos Alcaraz has made history by equaling his best run at the Australian Open, beating Tommy Paul in straight sets to reach the quarter-finals. The world No.1 is now just one step away from claiming the title and becoming the youngest man to complete the career Grand Slam of all four major crowns.
The 22-year-old Spaniard has been on a mission to prove himself as a top player, and his improved serve has been a key factor in his success. He averaged 70 per cent first serves against Paul and won 79 per cent of those points, just a touch higher than his mark for the tournament so far.
Alcaraz's serve has been a work in progress, but he is thrilled with its reliability now. "I'm surprising myself," he said. "The serve is something that I've been working on since a long time ago. I'm just really happy to see the improvement of the serve."
His opponent, Paul, looked struggling at times, and Alcaraz was happy to have come out on top in straight sets. The Spaniard also revealed that Novak Djokovic has joked about sending him a message asking for a copyright fee over his improved serve.
Now, Alcaraz must face either Alex De Minaur or Alexander Bublik in the quarter-finals. He has reached this stage three times in four years but was defeated by Zverev and Djokovic last year.
On the other side of the draw, American Learner Tien has become the youngest man to reach the quarter-finals at Melbourne Park since 2015, beating Daniil Medvedev 6-4 6-0 6-3.
The 22-year-old Spaniard has been on a mission to prove himself as a top player, and his improved serve has been a key factor in his success. He averaged 70 per cent first serves against Paul and won 79 per cent of those points, just a touch higher than his mark for the tournament so far.
Alcaraz's serve has been a work in progress, but he is thrilled with its reliability now. "I'm surprising myself," he said. "The serve is something that I've been working on since a long time ago. I'm just really happy to see the improvement of the serve."
His opponent, Paul, looked struggling at times, and Alcaraz was happy to have come out on top in straight sets. The Spaniard also revealed that Novak Djokovic has joked about sending him a message asking for a copyright fee over his improved serve.
Now, Alcaraz must face either Alex De Minaur or Alexander Bublik in the quarter-finals. He has reached this stage three times in four years but was defeated by Zverev and Djokovic last year.
On the other side of the draw, American Learner Tien has become the youngest man to reach the quarter-finals at Melbourne Park since 2015, beating Daniil Medvedev 6-4 6-0 6-3.
. I'm rooting for him to win this title, would be amazing to see a Spaniard on top of the world in tennis! 
He's got some big shoes to fill though, Djokovic and Zverev are no joke, but Carlos seems like he's got what it takes 
. Can't wait to see how he does against one of those Aussie players next.
I mean, if he wants to be the GOAT, maybe he should work on his own game instead of trolling Carlos 
. And btw, 22 and almost at a career grand slam? That's insane, dude! Carlos is like a machine out there 
he's been grinding for like forever and it's amazing to see him finally break through with that crazy serve 
70% first serves is insane! i wonder what's going through novak djokovic's mind when he joked about the copyright fee lol 
. those last two rounds have been super tough and alex de minaur or alexander bublik are gonna give him a run for his money 
I'm loving Alcaraz's serve right now! He's come so far and it's amazing to see him finally unlocking his full potential on the court 
. And on a side note, Learner Tien is crushing it as well - totally underrated player! 
. He's been playing way too well and I'm sure the other guy's gonna be able to take him down easily 
. And what's with all this hype about his serve? It's just a game, guys... it's not like he's going to win without it 
. And yeah, okay, maybe Novak Djokovic has joked about charging him for the use of his improved serve, but let's be real, that's just gonna give Alcaraz more pressure to perform 
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! I mean, the kid's got skills for days 
. And lol @ Djokovic joking about a copyright fee over Alcaraz's improved serve 
, but you've gotta give Alcaraz credit for his skills. Now let's see if Tien can keep up the momentum against Djokovic, that's gonna be a tough one 
the Spaniard is on fire right now and its been ages since we've seen him play this well 
Carlos Alcaraz is on fire 
! his serve game is insane and it's crazy to see him killing it on the court 
. But I'm all for him and his fans keeping the energy up! Let's go Carlos 
I love how he's expressing his happiness about seeing improvements in his game - it's infectious to watch him play with confidence now. Now he just needs to bring home that title and become the youngest man to win all four Grand Slams 
he's been working so hard on his serve and it's paying off in a big way! i mean 70% first serves? that's insane