Australian Open 2026 results: Carlos Alcaraz enjoys serve improvement as he reaches quarter-final

Carlos Alcaraz says he is pleased to see the recent changes to his serve pay off, describing it as an “important weapon” during his serene run to the last eight of the Australian Open.

A straight-set win over American 19th seed Tommy Paul took world number one Alcaraz into a 14th Grand Slam quarter-final, surpassing the record previously held by Bjorn Borg and Boris Becker (13) for the most of any player in the Open era before turning 23.

After the match, Alcaraz spoke at length about the tweaks he has made to his serve in recent months – joking with the crowd on Rod Laver Arena about the similarities it now has with that of Novak Djokovic.

“I’m surprising myself to be honest,” said the six-time Grand Slam champion, who is yet to drop a set during his first four matches in Melbourne.

“The serve is something I’ve been working on for a long time. I’m really happy to see the improvement of the serve and to have a high percentage.

“After every set, I try to take up my percentage, I look at the screen after every set. In general, [in] the four matches I’ve played, the serve has been an important weapon for me.”