Skip to content 
NEW YORK — After 35 minutes of Wednesday night’s US Open quarterfinal match against Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz began to feel a little bit uncomfortable.
Zverev racked up the first break points of the contest at 3-all in the opening set in Arthur Ashe Stadium under the lights an entrance a chance to start off strong against the reigning champion. Then it was gone. Alcaraz turned down those opportunities to hold, then in the following game, he gave himself a break by launching an overhead that deflected into the seats. With the arrival of one more serve hold, the set and ultimately a spot in the semifinals belonged to Alcaraz.
Alcaraz, the top seed, defeated Zverev 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 to go toward becoming the first person to win back-to-back championships at Flushing Meadows since Roger Federer did so from 2004 to 2008.
It may have gone my way if I could have broken. Regarding the crucial section in the seventh game of the match, Zverev stated, it didn’t. Even though I dropped the opening set, I anticipated a close match. I assumed I was at that level. I believed his level to be adequate. I anticipated it would be enjoyable.
However, early in the second set, the 12th-seeded Zverev, a 26-year-old German who finished second at the 2020 US Open, claimed he felt something irritating in his left hamstring region. He went on to say that this made it difficult to sprint and push off effectively to serve.
I didn’t give up, Zverev said after leaving the court for a medical timeout before the third set. But there is very little you can do, in a way, against Carlos then.
Over the previous year and a half of Grand Slam competition, there have not been many moments in which anyone has been able to slow down Alcaraz, a 20-year-old Spaniard, in any significant way.
After winning the title in New York a year ago, he missed the Australian Open due to a leg injury, advanced to the French Open semifinals before cramping up in a loss to Novak Djokovic, and added the Wimbledon trophy by defeating Djokovic in the final before the run over the past two weeks.
The Sunday final might see a repeat between Djokovic and Alcaraz.
When asked about such prospect, Alcaraz responded with a smile, well, definitely it’s closer than [it was at] the beginning of the tournament.
It would be fantastic to face Novak in the New York final, but both of our semifinal matches were quite challenging.
Yes, order is important here. The winner of the 2021 US Open, Daniil Medvedev, will meet Alcaraz in the final four on Friday. Djokovic, a 23-time Slam champion, will play unseeded Ben Shelton, a 20-year-old American who has never advanced this far in a major.
The strong forehands that cause the fans to gasp. Precise drop shots, the hammered comes back, the quick, all-court coverage, the willingness to take risks that others wouldn’t even consider, and the ability to succeed when doing so.
I try to make the people enjoy watching tennis, watching the matches, Alcaraz stated in his on-court interview.
I’ve been attempting to execute unique shots that the audience perhaps isn’t used to seeing throughout matches. Alcaraz, who is 58-6 with six victories in 2023, both tour highs, said, I’m trying to put on a show.
Additionally, he has a feeling of urgency, recognizing when he must win games or score points. He converted each of the four break points he earned in Zverev’s service games on Wednesday, saving all five of them.
Alcaraz stated that he attempts to view those situations that could have a significant impact on the final result as “regular points; try to do the things that I was doing well. I’m attempting to play my game and [be] aggressive.
In the stretch that ended the first set, he managed to collect 11 of 13 points, in part by focusing on Zverev’s second serves.
Alcaraz won the second set 2-1 with a cross-court backhand winner after receiving a first serve at 129 mph that was perfectly returned. After the set, while Zverev was receiving care from a trainer, Alcaraz passed the time by spinning his racket like a baton.
2 thoughts on “Carlos Alcaraz into US Open semi-finals”