World number two Carlos Alcaraz dropped a set Thursday before rediscovering his mojo to battle into the Australian Open third round, coming good when it mattered.

The second seed, gunning to unseat 10-time champion Novak Djokovic from the world number one spot, was tested in a tight first set but then moved through the gears.

"It's an extra motivation for me," the two-time Grand Slam champion Alcaraz said on Saturday

The changing of the guard in men’s tennis has long been on an asymptotic course, getting closer and closer to the inevitable but not quite materialising.

Italian Jannik Sinner's climb towards the top of men's tennis could hardly be described as sluggish unless of course a direct comparison is made with Spanish phenomenon Carlos Alcaraz.

The 36-year-old from Serbia defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas in last year's final for a record-extending 10th Melbourne crown then added the French and US Open titles to his collection in 2023.

Novak Djokovic closed in on a record-breaking seventh ATP Finals title on Saturday after sweeping past Carlos Alcaraz 6-3, 6-2 in a dominating semi-final display he hailed as his best of the tournament.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion needed just one win or a defeat for young rival Carlos Alcaraz in order to secure top spot in the ATP rankings for 2023 and prevailed in a three-hour Green Group clash with spirited debutant Rune.

The world number two said he had been "out of my mind" during his semi-final match against Jannik Sinner in the Chinese capital, which the Italian won 7-6 (7/4), 6-1.

Alcaraz pulled out of the final group stage after losing to Daniil Medvedev in the US Open semi-finals, saying he needed a rest.

Daniil Medvedev upset defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in an enthralling semi-final duel to reach the US Open final on Friday.

Defending champion Alcaraz moved to within one win of a potential dream final with Novak Djokovic with an emphatic straight sets victory over German 12th Alexander Zverev.

Defending champion Alcaraz, who has only dropped one set on his journey into the last eight, produced a dominant display to overwhelm Italian world No.61 Matteo Arnaldi, winning 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 in 1hr 57min.

Alcaraz, looking to become the first man to successfully defend the title since Roger Federer in 2008, polished off British 26th seed Dan Evans 6-2, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 in 3hr 11min

Carlos Alcaraz is not letting the defence of his US Open title get in the way of following his beloved Real Madrid -- and new signing Jude Bellingham's red-hot form for the Spanish giants.

Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz eased into the third round of the US Open with a 6-3, 6-1, 7-6 (7/4) win over South Africa's Lloyd Harris on Thursday.

Spanish tennis star Carlos Alcaraz on Tuesday said he hopes for a quick resolution to the Women's World Cup kiss scandal involving the country's football chief Luis Rubiales.

Alcaraz, returning to the same Arthur Ashe Stadium court where he lifted his first Grand Slam as a teenager a year ago, was always in control after Germany's Dominik Koepfer rolled his left ankle badly in the opening game

Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz are on a US Open collision course as the final Grand Slam tournament of season gets under way on Monday with American teenager Coco Gauff chasing a breakthrough first major title.

A titanic struggle between the world's top two players saw Djokovic -- who looked out on his feet in the second set -- save a match point before coming through on his own fifth match point for a 5-7, 7-6 (9/7), 7-6 (7/4) triumph.