Australian Open: Alcaraz Storms into Fourth Round with Landmark 100th Grand Slam Win

Melbourne - World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz cruised into the fourth round of the Australian Open with a commanding 6-2, 6-4, 6-1 victory over Corentin Moutet on Friday, marking a record-breaking triumph in his 100th Grand Slam match.

With the win, Alcaraz improved his Slam record to an outstanding 87-13, equalling Bjorn Borg for the best performance across the first 100 major matches. The 22-year-old Spaniard has now reached the quarterfinals in Melbourne twice.

The six-time Grand Slam champion has also moved ahead of legends Rafael Nadal and fellow former world No. 1 John McEnroe, both of whom held an 86-14 record after 100 major matches, according to ATP statistics. Novak Djokovic, a record 24-time Grand Slam winner and 10-time Australian Open champion, stood at 79-21 after his first 100 Slam matches, while Roger Federer had an 80-20 record.

Alcaraz’s chief rival Jannik Sinner completed his 100th Grand Slam match last year at Wimbledon with an 81-19 record, coincidentally against Alcaraz in the final, which the Italian won.

“It wasn’t easy. When you play someone like Corentin, you never know what’s coming next, and that makes it difficult to approach the match,” Alcaraz said. “But I really enjoyed it on court. We both produced some great shots and points, and there were some real highlights. I’m grateful to play matches like this against him.”

After racing to a 3-0 lead in the second set, Alcaraz briefly lost momentum, dropping four consecutive games. However, he regrouped swiftly, secured a crucial break at 4-4, and served out the set to take a two-sets-to-love advantage. He then dominated the third set, breaking twice to seal the match in two hours and five minutes.

Yet to drop a set in the tournament, Alcaraz will next face 19th seed Tommy Paul. The American advanced after Alejandro Davidovich Fokina retired with Paul leading 6-1, 6-1.

Already a six-time major winner at just 22, Alcaraz is chasing further history. A maiden Australian Open title would complete his Career Grand Slam and make him the youngest player ever to achieve the feat.

—With inputs from IANS