Carlos Alcaraz broke new ground at Australian Open 2026 on Tuesday night, reaching a maiden Melbourne semifinal at the expense of home favourite Alex de Minaur.
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The flashy world No.1 raced out of the blocks, then held off De Minaur in a pivotal opening set on the way to a 7-5 6-2 6-1 win at Rod Laver Arena.
He sizzled up at the net, going 18-for-22.
And all this after he surprisingly cut ties with his long-time coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero.
“I’m happy with the way I’m playing every match since the first round until now,” Alcaraz said post-match.
“I’m increasing my level every match.”
He now sits two wins away from becoming the youngest man to complete the career Grand Slam.
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First, to get to the final, the 22-year-old must overcome last year’s runner-up Alexander Zverev, who convincingly defeated the Spaniard in 2024 at Melbourne Park and won their practice set on the eve of AO 2026, as Alcaraz pointed out.
The tenacious De Minaur as usual threw all he had into the outing against Alcaraz.
The Sydneysider entered the quarterfinal following impressive wins against two other shot-makers, Frances Tiafoe and Alexander Bublik.
He stepped up his power, determined not to be a “punching bag” for the tour’s heavier hitters.
Ultimately, De Minaur could not keep up with Alcaraz – but nowadays, few can.
The Australian slipped to 0-6 against the six-time Grand Slam winner, and is also 0-6 in major quarterfinals.
If it is any consolation to the world No.6 – and it probably won’t be given his desire to win majors – De Minaur still has not lost to a lower-ranked player in his Australian Open career, including qualifying.
Indeed, it has taken the likes of Jannik Sinner (twice), Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal to oust him at Melbourne Park.
The first set on Tuesday mirrored what happened when the pair met at the ATP Finals last November.
Alcaraz raced to an early break lead and De Minaur rallied, prior to Alcaraz taking the first set in a tiebreak.
With the roof open as temperatures eventually fell from the mid-30s, Alcaraz smothered his opponent in the opening three games to again seize the advantage.
A forehand winner down the line started things off. He broke for 2-0, that game highlighted by a leaping backhand volley and another forehand winner.
Up 3-0, Alcaraz’s winners dried and his error count rose while his first-serve percentage plummeted.
A backhand into the net had De Minaur back on serve.
Through five games, Alcaraz registered 10 unforced errors and De Minaur no winners.
Not long after, Alcaraz said he became more patient.
“I wanted everything in a rush,” he said. “I took a moment, took a break. Mentally, I was always there.”
Alcaraz re-established his break lead for 5-3, but De Minaur’s rocket of a backhand down the line made it 4-5.
Down 5-6, chair umpire Eva Asderaki handed De Minaur a time violation warning as he readied to serve.
Was it significant?
De Minaur fell behind 0-40, saved the first three set points, but not the fourth. ‘Demon’ showed his famed scrambling skills to stay in an extended rally, though his forehand clipped the top of the tape and went wide to cap a 16-shot exchange.
An energised Alcaraz quickly led 4-1 in the second and when De Minaur erred on a break point at 2-4 courtesy of a forehand long, it felt like the knockout punch.
Overall, De Minaur led on the Alcaraz serve seven times from the middle of the first set until the end of the second, breaking just twice. He will know against the elite such as Alcaraz, the conversion rate had to be better.
That said, this is Alcaraz, who may not ever play two points the same and routinely takes the breath away.
Leading 3-1 in the fourth, his nifty backhand volley left De Minaur stranded. On the next point, De Minaur’s approach shot appeared like a good one. Alcaraz, though, ripped a forehand down the line.
To seal the game, he cracked an ace out wide.
Another fine serve ended proceedings, accompanied by Alcaraz’s habitual smile.
It will be back to business when he seeks “revenge” against Zverev.
“I know he’s playing great tennis,” Alcaraz said. “Solid, aggressively. I think he’s serving pretty well. I have to be ready.
“We have to play tactically really, really well. It’s going to be a great battle. I’m really looking forward to playing him here, taking revenge.”