Carlos Alcaraz warned he was constantly improving as he advanced to his first Australian Open semi-final and a clash with Alexander Zverev on Tuesday, while Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina took on Aryna Sabalenka in the last four.
Spanish world number one Alcaraz silenced a partisan Melbourne crowd by dismissing local hope Alex de Minaur 7-5, 6-2, 6-1 at Rod Laver Arena.
Alcaraz, 22, is yet to drop a set as he seeks his first Australian Open crown.
“I am really very happy with the way I play every match, with every round my level increases,” he said, in a warning to his rivals.
“Today I felt really comfortable, I played some good tennis which I’m really proud of,” added Alcaraz, who had never made it past the quarter-finals in Australia on four previous visits.
The Australian Open is the only Grand Slam that Alcaraz has not won.
If he beats Zverev and then wins Sunday’s final, he would surpass compatriot and legend Rafael Nadal as the youngest man to win all four majors.
Nadal was 24 when he did it.
In a personal statement, Zverev said he was playing pain-free for the first time in 12 months after last year’s runner-up beat American up-and-comer Tien.
Zverev hit 24 aces in a 6-3, 6-7 (5/7), 6-1, 7-6 (7/3) victory.
World number three Zverev is desperate to finally win a Grand Slam at age 28, having lost three major finals, including being soundly beaten in last year’s final by Jannik Sinner.
The German’s 2025 season subsequently collapsed, winning just one title in an injury-plagued campaign. He also struggled with his mental health, taking a month’s break after losing in the first round at Wimbledon.
“The last 10 days I felt healthy, which is very nice, and pain-free, which I haven’t felt in a long time. Probably in 12 months,” he said after dismounting Tien.
Gauff’s epic racquet smash
Coco Gauff folded in an error-strewn 59 minutes as Svitolina set up a semi-final against Sabalenka.
Belarusian world number one Sabalenka tamed 18-year-old American Iva Jovic 6-3, 6-0 in a temperature of 38C at the Rod Laver Arena.
In the evening, with the roof open due to the stifling heat, 12th seed Svitolina stunned third seed Gauff 6-1, 6-2.
Television images then showed Gauff repeatedly smashing his racket in the bowels of the stadium.
The Ukrainian, who is on a 10-fight winning streak after a series of titles in Auckland this month, added: “It means everything to me.” Svitolina said she hoped her stunning upset would bring “a little light” to her fellow Ukrainians during a harsh winter under attack from Russia.
For Gauff, a two-time Grand Slam winner, a decade younger at 21, it was more the misery of Melbourne.
She has still never made it past the semi-finals and the nature of the defeat will sting.
Gauff’s serve abandoned her, broken four times in the first set and twice in the second, leaving her title aspirations in tatters.
She was not amused to learn that her epic racket shot had been caught on television cameras.
“I tried to go to a place where they didn’t want to release it, but obviously they did,” she said.
“So maybe some conversations could be had because I feel like at this tournament the only private place we have is the locker room.”
In the first action of the day, Sabalenka moved closer to a third Melbourne crown in just four years.
After being stunned in last year’s final by American Madison Keys, the hard-hitting Belarusian said it was “a trophy or nothing” after beating the extremely talented Jovic.
The quarter-finals conclude on Wednesday, with 10-time Melbourne champion Novak Djokovic and defending champion Jannik Sinner in action.
Djokovic faces Italian fifth seed Lorenzo Musetti and Sinner faces American Ben Shelton.
In the women’s draw, Jessica Pegula and Amanda Anisimova face off in an all-American affair and second seed Iga Swiatek takes on fifth seed Elena Rybakina.
Temperatures are expected to be considerably cooler.
