Carlos Alcaraz (ATP 4) will play his first Grand Slam semi-final at the US Open. He won 6-3 6-7 (7/9) 6-7 (0/7) 7-5 6-3 in 5h15′ ahead of the Italian Jannik Sinner (ATP 13) in a crazy quarter-final , after erasing a match point in the 4th set.
The Spanish prodigy will face the American Frances Tiafoe (ATP 26) for a place in the final. With the possibility of becoming the youngest world No. 1 in history (19 years and 4 months) if Casper Ruud (ATP 7) fails against Karen Khachanov (ATP 31) in the first semi-final. But will he have recovered from the efforts made until 2:50 a.m. against Jannik Sinner? And will he be able to withstand the pressure of some 24,000 spectators at the Arthur Ashe stadium?
Released by Félix Auger-Aliassime (on retirement) last year in New York and by Alexander Zverev in June in Paris for his first 2 major quarter-finals, the protege of the ex-world No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero testified to an immense strength of character, like 2 days earlier against Marin Cilic. We didn’t give much of our skin at the end of the 2nd tie-break of this game.
In the ropes
Carlos Alcaraz twice had a break lead in the 3rd set, even leading 6-5 30/15 on his engagement. He missed the boat in the second set, missing 5 balls from 2 sets to 0. But he is not for nothing the designated heir to Rafael Nadal. In the ropes at 1-3 in the 4th set, he erased a match point at 4-5 on the opposing service, before winning the last 3 games of a set with an unlikely scenario. And he also came from afar in the final set, winning the last 4 games after Jannik Sinner.
ats/bur
Read also: Frances Tiafoe makes a whole country dream by dismissing Andrey Rublev