'Happy' Alcaraz cruises to quarterfinals at Open

NEW YORK -- Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz has advanced to the quarterfinals again at the US Open, and on Sunday, he made it look easy. Alcaraz posted an afternoon victory in straight sets, defeating Tommy Paul 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 in the second match at Arthur Ashe Stadium. "I'm happy with that performance," Alcaraz said. "I played my game. I tried to play my style. Tommy's such a talented player. His shots are pretty dangerous and it's sometimes pretty difficult to control the ball when it comes to you, so I just tried to be ready." Playing his first tournament following a four-month absence because of a right wrist injury, Alcaraz said last week he would not be coming back if he could not play like his usual self. The 23-year-old Spaniard has made good on that so far, dropping just one set through four rounds. Alcaraz dictated play on the way to extending his Grand Slam winning streak to 18. When Paul was making things interesting in the third set, Alcaraz set up match point by hitting a shot so perfectly in bounds that it left actor Matthew McConaughey in disbelief, along with many others in the crowd. Asked if he thinks he is back to form, Alcaraz responded, "I think so." The U.S. Open is bringing that out in him. "I'm just trying to enjoy my time on the court," Alcaraz said. "It doesn't matter that I was out four months and a half. Every time that I come here, I play my best." The layoff has built up Alcaraz's confidence. In fact, earlier in the tournament, he told reporters that he's planning now to take more breaks within the tennis season. "It feels like I've been competing the whole time. So, I surprise myself the way that I'm feeling and the way that I'm recovering after every match," Alcaraz said. "So, I'm just really happy about it that I'm able to perform at my best after every match." Paul was among the 10 Americans to reach the men's and women's round of 16. That is the most in the fourth round at any Grand Slam in nearly a quarter-century, dating to the 2002 U.S. Open, when there were 11. The five U.S. men -- Paul, Ben Shelton, Learner Tien, Frances Tiafoe and Alex Michelsen -- are the most at a major since eight in 1995 at Flushing Meadows. At 20, Tien is the youngest American man in the U.S. Open fourth round since Andy Roddick in 2002. No U.S. men's player has won a Grand Slam since Roddick in New York in '03. Shelton, the No. 8 seed, faces Stefanos Tsitsipas on Sunday night at Ashe. The Associated Press contributed to this report.