Carlos Alcaraz vs Alex De Minaur Preview & Tips - Alcaraz backed to take Australian Open semi-final berth

Carlos Alcaraz was excellent in the fourth round of the Australian Open as he hammered Tommy Paul 7-6 6-4 7-5. 

Alex De Minaur was also in great form in the last round as he eased to a 6-4 6-1 6-1 win to set up this mouth-watering clash with Alcaraz. 

The pair have met five times before, with Alcaraz winning all five matches. Their last meeting saw Alcaraz win 2-0 at the ATP Tour Finals in Turin back in 2025. 

Carlos Alcaraz continues to march towards the Australian Open final, with the Spaniard in supreme form after refusing to drop a set across his opening four matches. 

Wins over Adam Walton, Yannick Hanfmann, Corentin Moutet and Tommy Paul have seen Alcaraz rarely troubled. Indeed, across the 12 sets he has played, Alcaraz has only been taken to a tie break three times. 

On hard courts Alcaraz has won 129 matches, losing 29 times. His ability to win on hard courts is yet to see him make the Australian Open semi-finals, with runs to the quarter-finals in 2024 and 2025 the furthest he has gotten. While his inability to make it to the last four at the first Slam of the year is a worry, Alcaraz is in such good form this season that it is tough to see anything other than a win for the Spaniard. 

Alex De Minaur has been exceptionally good at the Australian Open, almost matching Alcaraz after dropping a single set across his opening four outings. 

His victory over Alexander Bublik in the last round was arguably his easiest win so far. Securing victory following a 6-4 6-1 6-1 win saw De Minaur barely troubled in an outing most had predicted would be much tighter. 

De Minaur now faces his toughest test of the tournament so far. The 26-year-old is yet to secure a win over Alcaraz, and while I back him to notch a set in this one, I do not predict that he will win this outing.