Even though Carlos Alcaraz didn’t play to his usual domineering standards on this particular night, he still managed to defeat Alexander Zverev in straight sets and move closer to a very uncommon US Open repeat.
With a first-serve rate that stayed around 50% for the majority of Wednesday night’s widely anticipated quarterfinal matchup with the former No. 2 in the world, Alcaraz committed more unforced errors than victories. However, the 20-year-old won 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 in a coolly effective two and a half hours by saving all five of his break points and converting four of his own. His payment? The previous two US Open winners will square off on Friday night in a thrilling semi-final encounter against third-seeded Daniil Medvedev.
Alcaraz, who is attempting to become the first man to win back-to-back men’s titles at Flushing Meadows since Roger Federer claimed five straight from 2004 to 2008, said, “I’m feeling very at ease playing on this court, playing in New York.” I’m in excellent physical shape. I feel intellectually capable enough. In the semifinal matchup against Medvedev, I believe I’m prepared to put up a fantastic fight.
The arduous fourth-round encounter, which ended at 1.40 am on Tuesday, required more than four and a half hours to complete for the 12th-seeded Zverev, a 26-year-old German who, three years ago, came within two points of winning the title in New York.
Zverev impressively matched blows with Alcaraz from the first ball after staying off the court for a full day to recover, winning the first break points of the opening set.
Zverev, though, missed backhands on both of them and after that, he watched as Alcaraz broke for a score of 5-3. After 48 minutes, Alcaraz immediately held at love to take the opening point.
Early in the second set, the top-seeded Spaniard took control by converting his subsequent attempt at a breakpoint via a sharply angled backhand winner that ended a tense four-shot battle. He broke once more toward the end of the set just for good measure, capping a 10-stroke rally that had the almost full Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd on their feet with a forehand winner.
Zverev claimed he sustained an ailment that affected his movement and serve during that second set.
Zverev reported, “The second set, I felt something in my left hamstring glute.” “I was no longer able to push off on my serve. My serve speed was significantly slower than it had been on the preceding days. It would have been difficult if I hadn’t had a terrific serving day, especially against him.
He continued, “Running bothered me a little bit, but pushing off on my serve is the biggest issue. It’s quite challenging to compete with Carlos if the serve speed and percentage both decrease.
During the set break, Zverev had a medical break. When play resumed, he fought valiantly and engaged Alcaraz in a hold-trading match well into the third. But after Monday night’s pyrrhic victory, the tank was empty, and Alcaraz quickly grabbed a break with another brilliant forehand to end the match with a handshake.
Since winning his first major championship in New York last year and becoming the youngest player to ever reach No. 1 in the world rankings, Alcaraz has had a busy year. He will hand over the No. 1 spot to Novak Djokovic after this week. He has amassed six additional trophies, including a second major championship of his career at Wimbledon, and has won 57 of 63 matches this season, a tour-best performance. His grand slam match record going back to the opening of the US Open last year? 24 victories compared to just 1 setback.
Since last year, I’ve matured a lot, Alcaraz claimed. “Last year, I faced my first grand slam semifinal opponent. I’m now dealing with my fourth. I believe I am a completely different player now. It makes no difference that I won my first grand slam semifinal and final matches and received my first grand slam last year. I believe that I have grown older. When faced with those kinds of situations, I handle the pressure better. I believe that I have changed as a player and as a person.
To advance to the US Open semi-finals for the first time since 2018, Madison Keys defeated Marketa Vondrousova earlier in the evening session on Wednesday with a 6-1, 6-4 victory.
The 28-year-old Illinois native, who is ranked 17th in the women’s draw, saved all nine break points she came up against to maintain the possibility of an all-American final on Saturday against sixth-seeded Coco Gauff, who is scheduled to play Karolina Muchova in the round of 16.
During an initial game that was postponed for about 10 minutes due to a spectator needing medical attention, Keys saved a break point with a precise backhand. The event was not related to the oppressive heat, which has emerged as one of the tournament’s most prominent topics, according to a statement from the USTA. Instead, it was discovered that the fan had a previous medical problem.
After losing her first two service games and playing softly in the opening set, Vondrousova, who won her first major championship at Wimbledon in July, appeared to be suffering from an arm injury that forced her to withdraw from the doubles competition after defeating Peyton Stearns in the round of 16.
The No. 9 seed improved in the second set, but she failed to capitalize on five additional break chances before losing the match in the ninth game.
Due to the excessive media focus on Gauff over the previous week and a half, Keys, whose journey to the 2017 US Open final stands as her career-best effort at a major, has mostly gone unnoticed. not anymore. The Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka, who is expected to take over as the world No. 1 ranking next week, is the American’s opponent on Thursday, and she will undoubtedly rely on the strong home crowd in that match.
Keys declared, “I merely adore it here.” “I adore having fun here. You can never feel like you have to stay in a situation when speaking in front of your own audience.