Perfection in tennis is an impossibility. In 2026, Carlos Alcaraz is making it look possible.

On Thursday night inside a packed Stadium 1, the high-flying Spaniard rode his hot hand into the semifinals with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over 2021 champion Cam Norrie, pushing his record to an undefeated 16-0 on the season.

“It was really difficult, to be honest,” Alcaraz said. “I struggle a lot with his style. It’s a little bit confusing. That forehand has super topspin and he makes it bounce really high, and then the backhand is really flat and really low.

“Sometimes it’s tricky to find the right shot against him.”

After rifling through the opening set, the 22-year-old hit a speed bump in the second.

Not to worry. Trailing 2-0, Alcaraz turned on the afterburners and raced through a cluster of games at a rapid clip. Shouts of “Carlos! Carlos!” rang out from the rafters as Alcaraz feathered a trademark forehand drop shot that kissed the line to level at 2-2.

A dazzling array of weapons helped the Spaniard turn a deficit into an advantage in rapid fashion. Getting the win was all about making good decisions, he said.

“Tennis is about choosing the right shot in about half a second or one second,” Alcaraz said. “In my mind I have like five or seven options, so for me sometimes it is tricky to choose the right one. But when the match is not going your way, having that many options helps you a lot to turn it around.”

He was off to the races from there.

Norrie hung close but couldn’t break through. Alcaraz served out the victory in one hour and 33 minutes to thunderous applause.

With the win, Alcaraz stretched his winning streak on outdoor hard courts to 34 matches — tied for third-longest in the Open Era, behind only Jimmy Connors (55) and Roger Federer (46).

Medvedev Dispatches Draper

Alcaraz’s next opponent will be a familiar face: two-time finalist Daniil Medvedev. The former World No. 1 pushed past defending champion Jack Draper in Stadium 2, 6-1, 7-5.

Medvedev and Alcaraz met in the 2023 and 2024 finals, with the Spaniard recording straight-set wins in both.

“I feel like I'm playing great, very good tennis,” Medvedev said. “I never want to jump to conclusions like saying it’s the best tennis of my life or whatever. I'm playing very well.

“I feel like the court is a bit faster than the last two times I played him. The balls are different, too. So I feel like it's a good chance to try to show my best tennis against him.”