Carlos Alcaraz beats Alex de Minaur to reach maiden Australian Open semi-final
World no.1 Carlos Alcaraz reached his maiden Australian Open semi-final after beating Alex de Minaur 7-5, 6-2, 6-1 in straight sets on Tuesday.
Carlos Alcaraz ended Alex De Minaur's stellar run at the Australian Open 2026 on Tuesday to book his spot in the semi-finals of the tournament. Local lad De Minaur played some exceptional tennis in the lead-up to his quarter-final clash against Alcaraz, but his best was not enough against the Spaniard, who cruised to a straight-sets victory to enter his maiden Australian Open semi-finals.
Alcaraz defeated De Minaur 7-5, 6-2, 6-1 in two hours and 15 minutes to record his best finish at the Australian Open in his career so far. The 23-year-old, who is one of the best players in the world at present, had never made it past the quarter-finals of the tournament until Tuesday. Alcaraz will now take on last year's finalist, Alexander Zverev, in a mouth-watering semi-final on January 30.
Alcaraz, who is yet to drop a set at the Australian Open 2026, continued his ruthless run against De Minaur. The Australian tested the world no.1 with his resilience in the first set, however, Alcaraz held his nerves to take the set 7-5, before winning the next 6-2 to assert his dominance. He won the third set 6-1 to secure a thumping win and enter the semi-finals.
The 23-year-old now stands just two wins away from tennis history as he will achieve his maiden Career Slam if he manages to win his maiden Australian Open title this year. With his semi-final qualification, Alcaraz also equalled a record held by the legendary Rafael Nadal and Bjorn Borg for most Grand Slam semi-final appearances before turning 23.
Alcaraz will be playing his tenth Grand Slam semi-final at the Australian Open 2026.
Most Grand Slam semi-final appearances before turning 23:
Carlos Alcaraz - 10
Bjorn Borg - 10
Rafael Nadal - 10
Boris Becker -10
"I’m really happy with how I’m playing. My level is rising every match. Today I felt very comfortable," said Alcaraz after his victory over De Minaur in the quarters.
Coco Gauff loses to Elina Svitolina in quarter-finals
Elina Sviotolina stunned third seed Coco Gauff in the quarter-finals to knock her out of the Australian Open 2026 on Tuesday. Svitolina produced a dominant display to beat Gauff 6-1, 6-2 in straight sets. Ukraine's Svitolina broke Gauff four times in the first set and two times in the second set enroute to her stunning win.
A frustrated Gauff was spotted smashing her racquet into the concrete floor in frustration after her loss against Svitolina in the quarter-finals. Svitolina will now take on world no.1 Aryna Sabalenka in the semi-finals of the first Grand Slam of the year.