Melbourne, Jan 27 : World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz advanced to his first semifinal at Melbourne Park, moving within two wins of achieving the career Grand Slam as he sealed a statement 7-5, 6-2, 6-1 victory against Alex de Minaur in front of a vibrant Rod Laver Arena crowd.

The Spaniard absorbed the pressure and ultimately neutralised the full impact of Alex de Minaurâ??s newly refined attacking style, aiming for his seventh major title and his first in Melbourne, to arrange a semi-final matchup against last yearâ??s runner-up Alexander Zverev.

â??Iâ??m just really happy with the level that Iâ??m playing every match, since the first round. Iâ??ve been increasing my level each match. I was talking with my team about being patient, because I want all the things right now. But they told me to be patient, that the level will come. Today I felt really comfortable, playing great tennis, which Iâ??m really proud about,â?? Alcaraz said in his on-court interview.

De Minaur showed a hint of what it takes to challenge the top players like Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, but the match ultimately highlighted the distance still to be bridged at the highest level. Alcaraz played powerfully from the baseline, confidently controlling the game and advancing to the semi-finals without losing a set.

The 22-year-old, who became only the eighth Spanish man in history to reach the Australian Open semifinals, is looking to become only the sixth man in the Open Era to complete a career Grand Slam, joining Andre Agassi, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Rod Laver, ATP reports.

After his fourth-round victory over Alexander Bublik, De Minaur openly discussed his drive to avoid being a â??punching bagâ?? for top players and to improve his ability to shift opponents out of position. His quickness and persistent defence have propelled him to a career-high No. 6 in the ATP Rankings. However, his remarks highlight the need for evolution to compete with a new wave that has won the last eight major titles.

De Minaur fulfilled that goal in the match. The quarter-final's first set saw five breaks of serve, with the Australian recovering from deficits of 0-3 and 3-5 to advance and dominate play. However, that resilience was ultimately insufficient and temporary.

â??Itâ??s really difficult. I started the match really well, hitting the ball really well. But Alex puts you in a rush all the time, so you want to hit the ball as hard as you can, which is impossible against him. So from 3-0 until 4-3, 4-4, I wanted everything in a rush, so I took a moment, took a break mentally. I was more patient until the end of the match,â?? Alcaraz said when asked about playing De Minaur.

Alcaraz shifted gears confidently, controlling the match with ruthless shot-making to secure a two-hour, 15-minute win. This extended his lead to 6-0 against De Minaur, who has only taken two sets in their rivalry, which began in 2022.

After exiting in the quarterfinals at Melbourne Park in 2024 and 2025, Alcaraz has now achieved a 16-4 record at the tournament. He will face Zverev in the semifinals, a rematch of their 2024 quarterfinal, which the German won in four sets.

/IANS