Australian Open LIVE: All the latest updates as Carlos Alcaraz sweeps past Alex de Minaur in straight sets - after controversial umpire call rocks Aussie star

Follow Mail Sport's live blog for the latest score and game-by-game updates from the Australian Open as Alex de Minaur takes on Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter-finals .

Henman: 'I think he will feel he could have done things a little differently'

British tennis legend Tim Henman has given his verdict on Alex de Minaur's defeat by Carlos Alcaraz.

Taking stock of De Minaur's stats from the match, Henman told TNT Sports:

When you look at the numbers. From De Minaur, they're not great. His first service percentage. Points won on first serve is less than 60 per cent. On second serve he was down at 38 per cent. Those are not great numbers but why is that? He only hit 16 winners. One ace. Why is that? So much of it is to do with his opponent. The unforced errors flowed more and he's going closer to the line, he's having to hit harder and harder.

On the one hand, he didn't really play his best, he played better against Bublik. But it's Bublik, it's not Alcaraz. That's where De Minaur could be a little bit disappointed because I think he will feel he could have done things a little differently. Alcaraz is too good.

Jamie Murray, meanwhile, added that he believes De Minaur couldn't do anything else but play aggressively against Alcaraz. He told TNT Sports:

To give himself a chance, he has to red line it, right? De Minaur is playing at his absolute limits. Alcaraz is not playing at his limits. So there is naturally going to be a few mistakes. But I would not hold that against Alex. He needed to play that way. It didn't work out for him. If he's going to stand and dolly the ball into the middle of the court, he's going to get crushed. Alcaraz is on another world.

Henman added:

This is the predicament for the other 126 people in the draw because when they come up against Alcaraz and Sinner, they have to get out of their comfort zone. They haven't got to do it for a set, we're in a Grand Slam. They've got to do it across three.

Alcaraz shows off his skills!

We've been trying to figure out the physics behind Alcaraz's racket flipping technique here at Daily Mail HQ and we're stumped!

These are some epic skills!

'I'll need to raise my level again'

Alcaraz will now take on Alexander Zverev in the semi-final, and believes he needs to up his game once again.

When asked what he needed to do to make his first Australian Open final, Alcaraz said:

I think increase my level. I've seen Sasha through the whole tournament and I know he's playing great tennis. Solid and aggressive. I think he's serving pretty well as well. I think I have to be ready. We were practising before the tournament began and he beat me 7-6, playing such great tennis.

We've got to be ready. We have to play tactically. It's going to be a good battle and I'm really looking forward to playing here and taking revenge.

Alcaraz then revealed that he will take some time to rest up and potentially play a game of golf during his two day break before he faces Zverev.

Alcaraz pays heartfelt nod to his dad

Carlos Alcaraz paid a heartfelt nod to his father during the on-court interview.

His dad, who is also called Carlos, is also an accomplished tennis player and was seen standing waving at his son in the crowd after the match.

It's been a great tournament so far and I'm just really proud and happy to see my dad.

This experience and living these things was his dream when he was playing tennis and I'm just really proud and I'm really happy to see him making his dream with me.

Alcaraz: 'That is how difficult it is to play against De Minaur':

In his post-match interview, Carlos Alcaraz opened up on just how tough it is to play against hard-running Australian Alex de Minaur.

Alcaraz said to Jim Courier:

I'm just really happy with the way I'm playing every match. From the first round, until now I was increasing my level every match and I'm really happy about it.

I was talking with my team about it and they said: "Be patient. Your level is going to come." I feel really comfortable playing great tennis that I'm really comfortable with and just really happy.

I started the match really well. I made like seven or eight winners. It was a great level. But playing against Alex, you are always in a rush. You want to hit every ball as hard as you can which is impossible against him. But I think from the 3-0 to the 4-3 I wanted to do everything in a rush and I just took a moment, took a break. I was more patient since the 4-4 until the end of the match.

Playing against someone lilke Alex is really difficult. You have to be really focused on the ball and play the point three, four times almost. So that means how difficult it is to play against Alex.

Breaking:Alcaraz keeps his flawless record!

Carlos Alcaraz wraps up the match in style, holding serve with an ace to seal a straight-sets victory against Alex de Minaur.

While the Aussie gallantly battled back against the Spaniard after going 3-0 down in the first set, the six-time Grand Slam champion showed his big game experience shutting out De Minaur, 7-5, 6-2, 6-1.

De Minaur cut a dejected look as he walked off the court, with the Aussie having once again failed to reach a Grand Slam semi-final.

The victory means that Alcaraz has not dropped a set at this year's Australian Open and will now take a step closer to finally winning a Career Grand

Slam.

He will face off in the men's singles semi-final against Alexander Zverev.

Alcaraz goes 5-1 up and will serve for the match

Alcaraz forces another error from De Minaur.

The Spaniard sends his opponent deep onto his baseline and De Minaur, not for the first time in this match, overcooks his return beyond the baseline to give Alcaraz another break.

The Spaniard will now serve for the match.

Alcaraz 7-5, 6-2, 5-1 De Minaur

Frustration mounts for De Minaur

He's hanging in there by a thread, but frustration is beginning to mount for De Minaur, whose hopes of making his first-ever Grand Slam semi-final are waning quickly.

Alcaraz 7-5, 6-2, 4-1 De Minaur

Alcaraz is a set away from his first Australian Open semi-finals

After taking a 6-2 victory in the second set, Alcaraz pressed further on the Australian, who struggled to quell the advances of the six-time Grand Slam winner.

Alcaraz had looked a little shaky on his service throughout the match, with De Minaur capitalising on a few unforced errors from the Spaniard to take a love-30 lead in the third game of the third set.

The two-time Wimbledon champion rallied to pull the game back to 30-30, before gifting De Minaur a break point chance by sending a groundstroke over the baseline.

There was more tough luck for De Minaur, who gave a point back to Alcaraz after missing the baseline by quite literally a millimetre.

The pair duelled again at deuce but Alcaraz would ultimately hold serve, after De Minaur smashed a forehand into the net.

Alcaraz 7-5, 6-2, 3-1 De Minaur

Aryna Sabalenka makes pointed Jannik Sinner joke

The roof is still open here at Rod Laver arena and temperatures are cooling off a tad.

It was around 39C at Melbourne Park before this match began, and there had been some talk over whether Tennis Australia would shut the roof and turn up the air conditioning.

It's been the second-hottest record at the Australian Open today and both Alcaraz and De Minaur are sweating buckets out on Rod Laver Arena.

Alcaraz has taken a commanding lead in this second set, sweeping his way past De Minaur to go 5-2 up and De Minaur is now fighting to hold serve at deuce, to save a set point.

Meanwhile, Sabalenka has been speaking in her post-match press conference and made a pointed joke at Jannik Sinner and the heat.

The Italian former world No 1 had been called 'lucky' over the weekend after he appeared to cramp up during Eliot Spizzirri due to the extreme heat in Melbourne. In a fortunate turn of events for the defending Australian Open champion, Tennis Australia subsequently decided to close the roof as the mercury crept above 40C.

'I got lucky with the heat rule,' Sinner said.

But as temperatures soared again on Tuesday, Sabalenka, who beat Iva Jovic to advance to the semi-finals, shot a barb at Sinner.

'It was hot out there. I guess yeah, as a woman we are stronger than the guys, so they had to close the roof so they don’t suffer you know?' the world No 1 said.

Another fight back on the cards?

It's almost a carbon copy of how the first set started...

De Minaur went 3-0 down, held service to pull a game back and is once again growing into this match.

With new balls in play, De Minaur seems to be hitting his groundstrokes with a little more venom.

He and Alcaraz are duelling with some fiery forehands, but De Minaur presses a little too much.

He overcooks a groundstroke to give Alcaraz a chance to win the game at 40-15.

De Minaur outfoxed Alcaraz in the next game, sending a deft backhand swipe across the net. The Spaniard arrived to clip the ball back over the net, but De Minaur responded, sending the ball into the back-left corner of the court.

Alcaraz laughed following the brilliant exchange but responded with a statement of intent.

He sent down a booming ace to his opponent, and despite De Minaur's sensational return game, the Aussie just couldn't reach the ball in time.

It was a brilliant strike by Alcaraz, who takes a commanding 4-1 lead in the second set.

Alcaraz 7-5, 4-1 De Minaur

Alcaraz takes another commanding lead

The six-time Grand Slam champion has put his foot on the gas pedal at the start of the second set, claiming an early break.

De Minaur gallantly attempted to fend off the advances of Alcaraz, saving a break in the second game, but couldn't hold service.

Problems are mounting here for the world No 6, with De Minaur now having lost five games on the bounce.

Despite having clawed the third game back to 30-30, Alcaraz closes out again, forcing De Minaur to the net with a deft drop shot. De Minaur couldn't reach the ball in time, which appeared to spin away from him.

Alcaraz then held serve to take a 3-0 lead in the second set.

Alcaraz 7-5, 3-0 De Minaur

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