Alcaraz flicks on genius switch to put himself two matches from career grand slam | Tumaini Carayol
One of the biggest matches of Alex de Minaur’s career was already falling from his grasp when his opponent, Carlos Alcaraz, compounded his misery with a selfish stroke of genius.Midway through the third set, the result all but a formality, De Minaur pounded an aggressive forehand down the line and flitted forward to the net.Against nearly any other player in the world, the Australian would have won the point.Against Alcaraz, the world No 1, De Minaur watched on helplessly as the Spaniard chased down the ball and slid to his right, whipping a forehand down-the-line pass that did not come back.De Minaur could not hide his rueful smile.
Over the past 10 days, the sixth seed has played some of the best tennis of his already incredibly successful career.He reached his second career Australian Open quarter-final by dismantling the former top 10 player Frances Tiafoe and the newest top 10 player Alexander Bublik in back-to back straight-sets wins.He had been clinical, rolling through his section of the draw with just one set lost in five prior matches.De Minaur’s progress in this tournament was a continuation of his upward momentum.Yet the fact remains that the No 6 and No 1 in the ATP rankings at times appear to be competing in different sports.
At no point in his 7-5, 6-2, 6-1 win over the Australian did Alcaraz even appear to look uncomfortable.It did take the 22-year-old some time to settle down in the first set.Although he started well, the winner of six majors was eventually punished for not serving precisely enough and as De Minaur tried to target his opponent’s backhand, the Spaniard was unimpressive.He hit 10 backhand unforced errors compared to just one winner in the first set.Alcaraz led by a break on two occasions in the first set, yet cheaply handed the initiative back to De Minaur.
However, Alcaraz simply has so many more options, weapons and ways to win a point, meaning it was only a matter of time before he took control,Whenever they were deadlocked in extended rallies, the younger man – he is 22 – broke out of the exchanges with devastating injections of pace or a drop shot,He used his peerless skills to move quickly from defence to attack,Once the first set was secured, Alcaraz rolled through the match,For so long, the narrative surrounding Alcaraz was his tendency to lose focus in matches.
One of the most memorable examples came when he inexplicably found himself in a fifth set with the 38-year-old Fabio Fognini, who was ranked No 138 and on the verge of retirement, in the first round of Wimbledon.Things have changed quickly.Like in New York in September, Alcaraz has navigated his path to the semi-finals in Melbourne without dropping a set.He has not always played his best tennis, but despite being pushed to 7-5 and 7-6 sets five times during this tournament, he has found a way through each match in straight sets.“I’ve been working on this, on the concentration, the focus,” Alcaraz said.
“Not having ups and downs in the matches has been one of my best or one of the main goals for me, which I’m just trying to put into work really every practice.“If I have a practice of two hours, two hours and a half, playing sets or playing against another player, I’m just trying to play the same level and having the same concentration, you know, point after point after point.I think the work pay off and I just have a great mindset and a great concentration during the whole tournament, which I’m just really proud about seeing all the hard work pay off.”The level he displayed in the final two sets against the 26-year-old De Minaur was of particular importance to the Spaniard due to his lack of match practice.He opted not to compete in the two weeks before the Australian Open and began the tournament searching for rhythm as a result.
“My team told me, like, be patient,Your level, the level you want to play, is going to come, for sure,You got to just keep trying, keep pushing yourself, and you will get where you want to be,”Two wins away from securing the career grand slam, Alcaraz has begun to find the level he had been seeking,Now he must maintain it.
Vingegaard crashes on training ride in Spain after being tailed by amateur cyclist
Visma-Lease a Bike have reminded amateur cyclists of the dangers of interacting with professional riders on the road following the revelation that Jonas Vingegaard crashed on Monday after being tailed by a fan during a descent near Málaga, Spain.“Jonas Vingegaard crashed during training on Monday. Fortunately, he is OK and did not sustain any serious injuries,” read a team statement. “In general, as a team we would like to urge fans on bikes to always put safety first. For both your own and others’ wellbeing, please allow riders to train and give them as much space and peace as possible
Alcaraz flicks on genius switch to put himself two matches from career grand slam | Tumaini Carayol
One of the biggest matches of Alex de Minaur’s career was already falling from his grasp when his opponent, Carlos Alcaraz, compounded his misery with a selfish stroke of genius. Midway through the third set, the result all but a formality, De Minaur pounded an aggressive forehand down the line and flitted forward to the net.Against nearly any other player in the world, the Australian would have won the point. Against Alcaraz, the world No 1, De Minaur watched on helplessly as the Spaniard chased down the ball and slid to his right, whipping a forehand down-the-line pass that did not come back. De Minaur could not hide his rueful smile
Elina Svitolina humbles Coco Gauff to set up Sabalenka semi in Australian Open
Coco Gauff is known across her sport for her mental toughness and problem-solving abilities, her tendency to grind out wins from unenviable positions. However, down 1-6, 0-3, 0-30 on Tuesday night and sinking quickly, the 21‑year‑old has rarely looked as helpless on a tennis court as when she expressed her despair to her support team. “She’s outdoing me in everything,” she said.This time, there was no way back for the third seed as Elina Svitolina ended a courageous, focused performance by securing the most significant result of the Australian Open so far, dismantling Gauff 6-1, 6-2 to reach her first semi-final in Melbourne.Svitolina, the 12th seed, will next face Aryna Sabalenka, the world No 1, and two‑time Australian Open champion
Early De Minaur onslaught not enough as Alcaraz surges into Australian Open semis
Top seed Carlos Alcaraz is within two victories of a career grand slam after piling more major pain on home hope Alex de Minaur in a largely straightforward Australian Open quarter-final victory, secured 7-5, 6-2, 6-1 in 136 minutes on Rod Laver Arena.The heavily anticipated clash delivered a sensational first set in which De Minaur looked a peer of the world No 1. However, Alcaraz took control beyond the one-hour mark, leaving the last Australian in the singles draw helpless, exasperated and pacing behind the baseline between points.De Minaur is now the third man in the Open era, after Andrey Rublev and Tommy Robredo, to lose his first seven grand slam quarter-finals. He walked off the court downtrodden, and his mood hadn’t lifted by the time he spoke to press half an hour later
Coco Gauff unhappy after racket smashing video at Australian Open goes viral
Coco Gauff has expressed her disappointment after video of her smashing her racket at the Australian Open was picked up on camera.The American was well below her usual high standards during her 6-1, 6-2 defeat by Elina Svitolina on Tuesday. Gauff had trouble with her forehand and serve throughout the match - she double-faulted five times in the first set alone – and hit 26 unforced errors to just three winners, losing in just 59 minutes. She also appeared to believe there was something wrong with her equipment as she struggled with her control, and had three of her rackets restrung in the opening set.After the match, the 21-year-old thought she had found some privacy to vent her frustration in a ramp away leading from Rod Laver Arena
Australian Open 2026 quarter-finals: Alcaraz hammers De Minaur, Svitolina destroys Gauff – as it happened
Here’s Jack’s report…Righto, Jack Snape’s report will be in here and on-site shortly, but otherwise, we’ll see you tomorrow at 12.30am GMT for Rybakina v Swiatek.Fear not, though, we’ve got you in the meantime – there’s football tonight, and for now, Joe Root and Harry Brook are on fire in Sri Lanka.Otherwise, though, peace out.There’ve been precious few tight matches in this year’s Australian Open and day 10 offered more of the same
One in four adults in England do not drink alcohol, survey finds
EHRC single-sex spaces guidance being adapted under ‘constructive’ new chair
Temporary accommodation in England is ‘torture’ for neurodivergent children, report finds
NHS England to trial AI and robotic tools to detect and diagnose lung cancer
Record number of people in UK live in ‘very deep poverty’, analysis shows
Most young adults in UK are anxious about jobs and the economy, research suggests