Serving it up, Carlos Alcaraz advances to the Australian Open quarterfinals

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — No sooner had Carlos Alcaraz advanced to the Australian Open quarterfinals with a win over Tommy Paul, than attention turned to his serve.

The top-ranked Alcaraz, in Australia trying to complete a career Grand Slam at the age of 22, has been remodeling it a little bit.

It worked well for him on Sunday in a 7-6 (6), 6-4, 7-5 win over No. 19-seeded Paul. There were no double-faults, he got 70% of his first serves into play and won 79% of those points. He also won 68% of points on his second serve.

The retooled start of his service motion has a familiar look, and hasn't escaped the attention of Novak Djokovic. The 24-time major winner joked earlier in the tournament that he'd sent Alcaraz a message asking for a copyright fee.

Alcaraz was asked about it in an on-court TV interview on Rod Laver Arena, and played along, too.

“Yeah. I heard that. I have the contract over there, but I haven’t seen him yet!” the Spaniard said of his exchange with Djokovic.

Expanding on the theme, he said when videos of the service motion emerged in the pre-season he checked on his phone and had a message from Djokovic which, more or less, said: “Alright, you have to pay!”

Alcaraz said the locker room jokes keep it fun. Seeking an unprecedented 25th Grand Slam title, Djokovic has been blocked in the last two years by Alacaraz and Jannik Sinner, who have split the eight titles evenly. The 38-year-old Djokovic got a walkover into the quarterfinals when Jakub Mensik withdrew from their fourth-round match because of injury.

One missing element on Alcaraz's tennis CV is a trophy at Melbourne Park. He has never gone past the quarterfinals. He'll also likely have the crowd against him against local favorite Alex de Minaur, who advanced with a 6-4, 6-1, 6-1 win over No. 10 Alexander Bublik.

“I understand, nothing personal, but the crowd is going to be for him,” Alcaraz said. “Looking forward to it. I’ve got to be ready for that.”

Paul reached the Australian Open semifinals in 2023, so had that in his favor going into the fourth-round match with Alcaraz.

The pair were going shot-for-shot in the first-set tiebreaker when a medical episode paused their match for more than 14 minutes.

It was 3-3 when chair umpire Marija Cicak informed them that a spectator at Rod Laver Arena needed urgent medical attention.

The delay lasted so long that the players got to hit up again for a couple of minutes before play resumed, and after the spectator had been helped away from the arena by medical and ambulance staff.

Alcaraz was always in front after that. He broke serve in the pivotal 10th game of the third set and finished off the match in 2 hours and 44 minutes.

The pair hugged at the net, Alcaraz did a little dance move on the court to entertain the crowd, and then applauded the 28-year-old American as he walked off the court.

“Overall, a really high level of tennis from both sides,” Alcaraz said. “Really happy I got it in straight sets.”

Alcaraz said he was aware of his service stats and, in a kind of humble brag, added “Yeah, it’s impressing myself to be honest” across his first four matches at Melbourne Park.

“After every set I try to check it out – checking on the screens,” he said. “In general, I think the four matches that I've played (here), the serve has been an important weapon for me.”

Tommy Paul of the U.S. plays a backhand return to Carlos Alcaraz of Spain during their fourth round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

Carlos Alcaraz, right, of Spain is congratulated by Tommy Paul, left, of the U.S. during their fourth round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

Carlos Alcaraz of Spain plays a forehand return to Tommy Paul of the U.S. during their fourth round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

Carlos Alcaraz of Spain celebrates after defeating Tommy Paul of the U.S. during their fourth round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

Carlos Alcaraz of Spain kicks the ball during his fourth round match against Tommy Paul of the U.S. at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

This is the sun's time to shine: Sunday is the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.

Sunday is the solstice, marking the start of astronomical summer north of the equator. It’s the opposite in the Southern Hemisphere, where it is the shortest day of the year and winter will start.

The word “solstice” comes from the Latin words “sol,” for sun, and “stitium,” which can mean “pause” or “stop.” The summer solstice is the end of the sun’s annual march higher in the sky, when it makes its longest, highest arc. The bad news for sun lovers: It then starts retreating and days will get a little shorter every day until late December.

People have marked solstices for eons with festivals and monuments, including Sweden's midsummer eve celebrations and Stonehenge, which was designed to align with the sun’s paths at the solstices.

Here’s what to know about the Earth’s orbit.

As the Earth travels around the sun, it does so at an angle, making the sun’s warmth and light fall unequally on the northern and southern halves of the planet for most of the year.

The solstices mark the times when the Earth is tipped most extremely either toward or away from the sun. This means the hemispheres are getting very different amounts of sunlight, and days and nights are at their most unequal.

At the Northern Hemisphere’s summer solstice, the Earth’s upper half is leaning toward the sun, creating the longest day and shortest night of the year. The summer solstice falls between June 20 and 22. This year it’s June 21.

The opposite happens at the Northern Hemisphere winter solstice: the Earth’s upper half leans the furthest away from the sun, leading to the shortest day and longest night of the year. The winter solstice falls between Dec. 20 and 23.

During the equinox, the Earth’s tilt is neither toward the sun nor away from the sun, so both the northern and southern hemispheres get an equal amount of sunlight. The sun rises almost exactly due east and it sets almost exactly due west.

The word equinox comes from two Latin words meaning equal and night. That’s because on the equinox, day and night last almost the same amount of time — though one may get a few extra minutes, depending on where you are on the planet.

The Northern Hemisphere’s fall — or autumnal — equinox can land between Sept. 21 and 24, depending on the year. Its spring — or vernal — equinox can land between March 19 and 21. The exact time of the equinox is the moment the sun is directly overhead at the equator.

These are just two different ways to carve up the year.

While astronomical seasons depend on how the Earth moves around the sun, meteorological seasons are defined by the weather. Meteorologists break down the year into three-month seasons based on annual temperature cycles. By that calendar, spring starts on March 1, summer on June 1, fall on Sept. 1 and winter on Dec. 1.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

FILE - Kansas City Royals second baseman Michael Massey (19) and shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., right, return to the dugout during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros, Friday, June 12, 2026, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)

FILE - Soccer fans sit on a bench overlooking Lumen Field stadium at sunset during the 2026 World Cup in Seattle, Saturday, June 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez, File)

FILE - Revelers gather at the ancient stone circle Stonehenge to celebrate the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year, near Salisbury, England, Wednesday, June 21, 2023. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)