Carlos Alcaraz sent an ominous message to the rest of the field as he powered into the last 16 of the Australian Open, dispatching French showman Corentin Moutet in straight sets in his 100th Grand Slam match.

The top seed barely broke stride on Rod Laver Arena, overpowering Moutet 6-2, 6-4, 6-1 in just over two hours to underline his growing comfort on Melbourne’s biggest stage.

Victory sets up a fourth-round clash with American 19th seed Tommy Paul, who advanced after Alejandro Davidovich Fokina was forced to retire injured. Alcaraz will be eyeing another step toward history, with the Australian Open the only major title missing from his rapidly expanding résumé.

The 22-year-old has never progressed beyond the quarter-finals in Melbourne, but a breakthrough this year would see him become the youngest man to complete a career Grand Slam.

“It wasn’t easy,” Alcaraz said afterwards. “When you play someone like Corentin, you never know what’s coming next, and that makes it difficult to approach the match. But I had fun out there. I think we both played some great shots and great points.”

The victory marked Alcaraz’s 100th match at Grand Slam level, and improved his remarkable record to 87 wins and just 13 losses — a tally that mirrors Bjorn Borg’s record at the same stage of his career.

Left-hander Moutet, playing his first match against a world No. 1, never truly looked capable of springing an upset. Alcaraz broke serve in the opening game and quickly raced into a 2-0 lead, setting the tone for a one-sided first set that lasted just 35 minutes.

The Spaniard again struck early in the second set, but Moutet briefly injected drama by winning four consecutive games from 0-3 down, mixing in underarm serves, drop shots and audacious tweeners to try to disrupt Alcaraz’s rhythm.

The top seed calmly regrouped, closed out the set, and then accelerated through the third, barely breaking a sweat as he sealed victory in emphatic fashion.

With his confidence growing and his movement looking effortless, Alcaraz is beginning to look increasingly at home in Melbourne — and ever closer to completing the one major milestone that still eludes him.