Alcaraz coasts into semi-finals

TENNIS Carlos Alcaraz crushed home hopes with victory over Alex De Minaur to reach the semifinals of the Australian Open for the first time.

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De Minaur was playing in his seventh grand slam quarterfinal and second in a row at Melbourne Park but the belief he could perhaps make it further for the first time evaporated as Alcaraz powered to a 7-5 6-2 6-1 victory.

The world number one had fallen on both his previous visits to the last eight, including to Novak Djokovic 12 months ago, but the same outcome never looked likely here, with Alcaraz now two victories away from becoming the youngest man to complete the career Grand Slam.