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Alcaraz delivers statement win to reach last eight - Published Carlos Alcaraz continued his return from long-term injury with a hugely impressive fourth-round win against Tommy Paul at the US Open. Playing just his fourth competitive singles match after an absence of more than four months, the 23-year-old Spaniard produced a masterful performance to beat American 20th seed Paul 6-4 6-3 6-4. He has dropped only one set on his way to the last eight in New York and will face American eighth seed Ben Shelton in the quarter-finals. A wrist injury caused Alcaraz to miss both the French Open and Wimbledon earlier this summer. He had won the previous two Grand Slams - last year's US Open and this year's Australian Open - meaning the straight-set victory over Paul extended his run of match wins at the majors to 18. Alcaraz is taking a different approach to this tournament in New York, putting a greater emphasis on recovery as he looks to keep his wrist injury-free - even if that means giving up his favourite off-court activity on his days off. "I've been really focused on the recovery with my team, with myself, doing the right things off the court trying to be healthy and in good shape for the next round," he said. "Those days, if I'm practising or not, I'm trying to be chill and focus on the next round. So golf this year isn't an option." Alcaraz has won all three of his tour-level matches against Shelton, who beat Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-2 6-3 6-4 later on Sunday. "If Shelton were to come through, he is the kind of player that can knock the racquet out of your hand," said American former player Jeff Tarango on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra. "It's going to be a real test to see how Alcaraz's wrist is with a 149mph serve coming to that forehand, but Alcaraz should get through Shelton if his wrist is fine." - Sabalenka overcomes tricky Townsend test at US Open - Published3 hours ago - How to follow US Open on the BBC - Published8 hours ago Alcaraz said after his third-round win that he was happy with the level of fitness he had shown in the early rounds following his lengthy absence, while he demonstrated against Paul that the quality of his shot-making is as good as ever. One sensational cross-court forehand winner early in the second set, which landed in from an almost impossible angle, was clocked at 103mph. Former British number one Tim Henman told Sky Sports: "When you haven't played tennis for four weeks, it seems a lot and you can be a bit rusty. This is four and a half months. "If you would have given Alcaraz a blank piece of paper at the beginning of the tournament and asked how he'd want the first four matches to go, he would have scripted it exactly like that. "He's had a few slightly challenging moments but, in the important moments, he's just come up with incredible tennis. That's got to give him so much confidence moving forward." American trio storm into quarter-finals Later on Sunday, Frances Tiafoe, Alex Michelsen and Shelton stormed into the quarter-finals to boost home hopes of a first American men's Grand Slam champion since Andy Roddick won in New York in 2003. Tiafoe delighted fans in a entertaining victory over 2021 champion Daniil Medvedev, saving a set point in the third-set tie-break before wrapping up a 7-6 (7-1) 6-4 7-6 (8-6) win to maintain his perfect record on Louis Armstrong Stadium. Tiafoe has now won all 10 of his matches on the US Open's secondary show court, while it is just his second win in eight appearances against Russian Medvedev. A two-time semi-finalist in New York, Tiafoe will face Michelsen next after the 22-year-old beat Argentina's Tomas Martin Etcheverry 7-6 (8-6) 6-4 6-4 to reach his first Grand Slam quarter-final. Shelton, meanwhile, surged past Tsitsipas in less than two hours to join his compatriots in the last eight. Former world number three Tsitsipas had been enjoying a resurgence at Flushing Meadows as he defeated Arthur Fils and Jiri Lehecka, the 10th and 18th seeds, en route to his first fourth-round appearance at a Grand Slam in over two years. Tsitsipas' defeat means this is the first year a player with a one-handed backhand has not reached a major semi-final in men's singles since 1877. In the men's doubles, Britain's Henry Patten and Finnish team-mate Harri Heliovaara, the top seeds, moved into the third round with a 7-5 6-2 win over Matteo Arnaldi of Italy and Germany's Jan-Lennard Struff. British ninth seeds Lloyd Glasspool and Julian Cash won 7-6 (7-2) 6-4 against Czech pair Adam Pavalsek and Patrik Rikl, while Joe Salisbury and American partner Rajeev Ram fought back to beat French duo Theo Arribage and Albano Olivetti 6-7 (2-7) 7-6 (11-9) 6-4. Related topics - Published28 August - Published28 August
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