A competitive start before the balance shifts
World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz was forced to work hardest in the opening set of his Day 10 encounter with Alex de Minaur, producing a high-quality contest that briefly suggested a more extended battle. The Australian matched Alcaraz’s intensity early on, and the outcome of the first set carried the potential to shape the direction of the match.
Once that hurdle was cleared, however, Alcaraz steadily asserted his authority.
Momentum swings define the first set
Alcaraz, the top seed and clear favorite, made the first move by breaking serve early to establish a 2–0 lead. De Minaur responded impressively, breaking back to level the score at 3–3 and reintroducing uncertainty into the set.
At 4–3, Alcaraz struck again with another break, but De Minaur refused to fade, immediately responding with a re-break and extending the set further. The decisive moment came at 6–5, when Alcaraz secured yet another break, closing the set before De Minaur had the opportunity to respond.
Alcaraz takes full control
After the intense opening set, the match shifted decisively in Alcaraz’s favor. In both the second and third sets, the Spaniard imposed himself from the baseline, breaking De Minaur twice in each set and maintaining consistent pressure on serve.
The result was a dominant closing stretch, as Alcaraz moved efficiently through the remainder of the match to seal a straight-sets victory.
Authority confirmed in Melbourne
With a final scoreline of 7–5, 6–2, 6–1, Alcaraz underlined his status as the tournament’s leading contender. After navigating early resistance, he demonstrated his ability to elevate his level and control proceedings against a top-six opponent.
As the men’s draw continues to narrow, Alcaraz’s progression sets the stage for the challenges ahead, detailed in our Australian Open 2026: Day 10 Preview.
By Skyscraper2010 – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=162683017
By Carine06 – https://www.flickr.com/photos/43555660@N00/47926079287/, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=174048362