By Shrivathsa Sridhar
NEW YORK, Sept 6 (Reuters) - Carlos Alcaraz beat American 20th seed Tommy Paul 6-4 6-3 6-4 in a high-voltage hit-fest on Sunday to reach the quarter-finals of the U.S. Open and remain firmly on track for back-to-back titles at Flushing Meadows.
The seven-times Grand Slam champion has hit top form in New York after nearly five months out with a right wrist injury and extended his major match-winning streak to 18 with a stunning display of shotmaking against a fellow big-hitter.
"I think I just played my game," Alcaraz said, still looking fresh in a custom black-and-white Nike kit for the second week.
"I tried to play to my style. Tommy's such a talented player and his shots are pretty dangerous and it's difficult to control the ball when it comes to you. I was ready for a battle.
"I was trying to be aggressive all the time ... I did well to put pressure on his return, which helped me stay calm and to think clearly. I was really happy with the performance."
Alcaraz's serve came under pressure in the third game when Paul fired an exquisite 100 mph forehand winner around the net that brought Arthur Ashe Stadium to its feet, but the Spaniard stood firm before striking late to snatch the opening set.
SCORCHING WINNER BY ALCARAZ
The 23-year-old left a vapour trail with a crosscourt winner to carve out an early opening in the second set and swiftly took a 2-0 lead, before trading breaks with Paul and breezing through the remaining games for a commanding lead.
Even with much of the showcourt crowd yearning for a home winner, second seed Alcaraz continued to steal the show with his audacious play and moved to the brink of improving his win-loss record against American players at the Grand Slams to 13-0.
After shifting down to cruise mode, Alcaraz briefly flinched at the finish line but he regrouped to deliver the knockout blow and set up a meeting with American Ben Shelton or Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas in the next round.
Alcaraz hit a rocket of a forehand to bring up matchpoint, another sign that he was reaching the peak of his powers at a venue where he has thrived ever since his maiden Grand Slam triumph four years ago.
"I think so," Alcaraz said when asked about being back to his best in New York, where he has reached the quarter-finals in five of his six appearances now.
"It shows how special this place is to me, I'm just enjoying myself on court here. It doesn't matter that I was out for over four months. Every time I come here I play well."
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in New York, editing by Pritha Sarkar and Toby Davis)
