Alcaraz plans kangaroo tattoo if he wins title

Australian Open 2025

Dates: 12-26 January Venue: Melbourne Park

Coverage: Live radio commentary on Tennis Breakfast from 07:00 GMT on BBC 5 Sports Extra, plus live text commentaries on the BBC Sport website and app

Carlos Alcaraz said getting a kangaroo tattoo is "definitely the plan" if he wins the Australian Open, the only Grand Slam singles title missing from his collection.

The Spaniard overcame Portugal's Nuno Borges 6-2 6-4 6-7 (3-7) 6-2 to progress to the fourth round, where he could meet British number one Jack Draper.

The 21-year-old Alcaraz is bidding to become the youngest man to complete the career Grand Slam.

"I will get a kangaroo [tattoo] for sure, that's my idea. The only thing missing is to lift the trophy here but it's definitely the plan if it happens," he said.

Alcaraz already has tattoos of the date of his 2022 US Open win, the Eiffel Tower to represent his 2024 French Open triumph and a strawberry to represent his two Wimbledon titles.

The third seed has never made it past the quarter-final stage in Melbourne but looked in fine tune on Friday as he showcased his signature energetic and dynamic tennis.

"I'm really happy to play here again. I tried to show my best tennis on a beautiful court and the last time I played here I lost so I wanted to play here and win," Alcaraz said.

"It's a privilege to feel this love. I try to play different tennis, show the shots that I enjoy doing and show my good tennis and try to entertain the people as well and make them happy."

Alcaraz cruised through the opening two sets against Borges without facing a break point, having suggested he was pleased with his serving in his previous match by writing "Am I a servebot?" on the camera lens after his win.

Alcaraz will perhaps be frustrated to see he won 57% of his second-serve points compared to 71% on Wednesday but he will also be paying attention to his unforced error count.

He made 50 in the match - nine more than his opponent - and, for the most part, they did not have much bearing on the score, but a series of them in the third set ultimately led to world number 33 Borges securing at least a tie-break.

Alcaraz struggled to find his groove in the tie-break and again errors proved costly as he conceded the third set.

But his impassioned style and showmanship came through again in the fourth set with a dominant showing and moments of brilliance putting paid to any hope of a Borges comeback.

The movement of Alcaraz on court never fails to impress and his varied shot selection often has the crowd on their feet, with an incredible no-look winner to break Borges' serve in the fourth the highlight.

In the night session, Novak Djokovic earned his place in the fourth round with a straight-set victory over Czech player Tomas Machac.

The Serb appeared exhausted at times in the match and needed a medical timeout during the second set but came through 6-1 6-4 6-2 on Rod Laver Arena.

The match had been billed as a potential stumbling block for the seventh seed, but a tally of 35 unforced errors from 26th seed Machac accounted for over a third of Djokovic's points.

"I was slightly surprised with the result and to beat him in straight sets," Djokovic said.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion, who is aiming to win a record 25th major and 11th title in Melbourne, took the first set with ease.

However, a series of intense rallies and an early break of serve against him in the second set left Djokovic needing to use an inhaler and requiring a medical timeout.

"I was trying to catch my breath. I struggled a little bit. I'm not 19 years old any more you know and you go through different stages in a match," he said.

A fired-up Djokovic powered to victory with a dominant performance in the third set, spurred on by frustration at spectators in the crowd who kept calling out during points.

Djokovic will face Czech 24th seed Jiri Lehecka in the last 16 before a potentially mouth-watering clash with Alcaraz in the quarter-finals.

Elsewhere, American 12th seed Tommy Paul beat Spaniard Roberto Carballes Baena 7-6 (7-0) 6-2 6-0 while Frenchman Ugo Humbert progressed after compatriot Arthur Fils withdrew because of injury early in the fourth set of their match.