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Carlos Alcaraz delivered his strongest performance yet since returning from injury, beating Tommy Paul in straight sets at the U.S. Open on Sunday to set up a quarterfinal against Ben Shelton.
Aryna Sabalenka, chasing a third straight U.S. Open title, also moved through to the last eight, where she will face Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova.
Second-seeded Alcaraz, playing his first tournament since a right wrist injury sidelined him in April, looked close to his best in a 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 win over 20th-seeded Paul, who gave the Spaniard his toughest test so far.
"I played my game," said Alcaraz, who hit 33 winners as he moved fluidly around the court in the two-hour, 20-minute match. He will face red-hot Shelton, a 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 winner over Stefanos Tsitsipas, for a place in the semifinals.
"I tried to play my style," Alcaraz said. "Tommy is such a talented player. His shots are pretty dangerous, and sometimes it's really difficult to control the ball when it comes to you. I just tried to be ready for a battle and tried to be aggressive all the time."
Alcaraz broke serve late in a tight first set, then took control, breaking Paul twice in the second set and again early in the third. He closed out the match with a hold of serve in which he saved two break points, the second with a swinging forehand volley followed by a forehand winner to reach match point.
Shelton, who needed four sets in each of his first three matches, raised his level to beat former world number three Tsitsipas in one hour, 52 minutes. The American, coming off a strong Aug. that included a title at the ATP Montreal Masters, hit a dozen aces and never faced a break point.
"I played a complete match from start to finish," said Shelton, who is looking forward to facing Alcaraz. "I think the level that he's been playing at is really, really impressive. To not play for five months, then do what he's done so far this tournament has been superhuman. I think it's going to be fireworks on Tuesday night," Shelton said.
Sabalenka defeated American Taylor Townsend 6-4, 6-3 to keep her bid for a rare U.S. Open three-peat, a term used when a player or team wins three consecutive titles, on track. The Belarusian, whose world number one ranking is on the line in New York, will next face sixth-ranked Noskova, who beat Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk 7-5, 5-7, 6-4.
Townsend's sharp service returns and net play troubled Sabalenka in a first set that opened with five breaks of serve. But the Belarusian's power and precision took over, and after falling behind 3-1 in the second set, she won the last five games to close out the match.
"I was just trying to stay focused on myself and play not only point by point but ball by ball," Sabalenka said. "I'm happy that I was able to turn around that second set."
Noskova needed six match points to close out her win over Kostyuk, failing to convert two in the second set. "I am more than relieved," Noskova said. "This match was so tough, emotionally more so than physically."
American Frances Tiafoe, the 11th seed who has twice reached the semifinals at the U.S. Open, booked his quarterfinal spot with a 7-6 (7/1), 6-4, 7-6 (8/6) win over former champion Daniil Medvedev.
"Hell of a match," Tiafoe said. "I played well when it counted." Tiafoe will face fellow American Alex Michelsen, who beat Argentina's Tomas Martin Etcheverry 7-6 (8/6), 6-4, 6-4 to reach the semifinals.
Women's third seed Jessica Pegula also advanced, beating Romania's Sorana Cirstea 6-3, 6-4. Pegula, one of several players with a chance to overtake Sabalenka atop the rankings in New York, will next play fellow American Emma Navarro, who defeated Anna Kalinskaya 6-4, 6-2.
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