Top seed Carlos Alcaraz marked his 100th Grand Slam clash with a masterful 6-2, 6-4, 6-1 dissection of Corentin Moutet, booking his spot in the Australian Open fourth round. The victory elevates his major record to an impeccable 87-13, tying Bjorn Borg’s benchmark and eclipsing multiple all-time greats.
Alcaraz blitzed the first set before a gritty fightback from Moutet in the second briefly unsettled him. Trailing after losing four games in a row from 3-0 up, the Spaniard reset, breaking decisively to take control. The finale was a statement of dominance, ending in two hours five minutes.
‘It’s always challenging against players like him,’ Alcaraz noted. ‘The match was hard to anticipate, but I loved competing and hitting those highlight-reel points.’
Set-perfect through three rounds, Alcaraz meets Tommy Paul next. A title run would deliver his maiden Melbourne crown and youngest-ever career Slam. His stats humble the giants: better than Nadal and McEnroe’s 86-14, Djokovic’s 79-21, Federer’s 80-20. Sinner’s 81-19 from last year’s Wimbledon centenary lags behind.
With prior quarterfinal runs here, Alcaraz – a six-Slam maestro at 22 – is geared for history. The Melbourne spotlight intensifies on the prodigy.