Carlos Alcaraz delivered a commanding 6-2, 6-4, 6-4 victory over Corentin Moutet, showcasing his trademark explosiveness, touch, and crowd-pleasing flair at the Australian Open fourth round on Friday. Yet the post-match spotlight quickly shifted to a lighthearted moment from the One Point Slam exhibition event.

During the on-court interview, Jim Courier replayed Alcaraz’s infamous rally against Maria Sakkari -a 13-shot exchange that ended with the world number one missing a drop shot and losing the point.

Courier asked him, “How much fun was it for you to lose to a WTA player, Maria Sakkari, in the 1 Point Slam? How was that?” The Spaniard was like, “Oh sh-t. I remember it, of course. It was a great point, though. It was a long one. I didn’t expect to play that long. Yeah, it’s unbelievable.”

The One Point Slam, a unique exhibition featuring top ATP and WTA stars, saw several elite players fall early, with Sakkari famously eliminating Carlos Alcaraz. The Murcian later reflected on the defeat with good spirits, joking about the rare failure of his signature drop shot.

“The drop shot is my shot; I don’t know what happened, honestly. It has never let me down, not even in my toughest moments, but today it didn’t work,” he said.

While the recent moment in Melbourne briefly embarrassed him, Carlos Alcaraz’s focus is firmly back on his Grand Slam, and his dominant third-round performance suggests he remains a serious contender in Melbourne. Next up for him will be the world number 20, Tommy Paul. What else did Alcaraz say in his post-match interview, though?

Carlos Alcaraz analyzes his performance in the third round and shares thoughts about his next opponent

Carlos Alcaraz continued his dominant Australian Open run with a composed third-round victory, reaching his 87th Grand Slam match win in the Open Era – a milestone matched only by Bjorn Borg after 100 major matches. Despite the growing expectations of chasing his maiden AO title and completing a Career Grand Slam, the world number one looked relaxed and in control on Rod Laver Arena. Playing with freedom from the baseline, Alcaraz thrilled fans with spectacular shot-making, including a stunning tweener during a 16-shot rally that lit up the crowd.

Alcaraz faced a brief dip after taking a 3-0 lead in the second set, dropping four consecutive games before regaining composure. He broke back at 4-4 to secure a two-sets-to-love advantage and powered through a third set with a double break to seal the duel in two hours and five minutes. What did he say after the match?

“It wasn’t easy. When you play someone like Corentin, you don’t know what’s going to be next. That’s really difficult to approach the match, but I had so much fun with it on the court. I think we both pulled off great shots, great points. I think there were a few highlights in the match. I’m grateful to play this kind of match against him.”

He’ll face America’s Tommy Paul in the R16, and guess what? Carlos Alcaraz holds a 5-2 lead in their H2H record and expects another intense battle. Paul didn’t have to put much effort into the previous match. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina suffered an injury in the third round, forcing him to give a mid-match walkover to the American at 1-6, 1-6.

Can he topple the world number one in the next match now? Share your thoughts in the comment box.