They say that the great champions are the ones who find a way to win a match even when they are not having their best day. And that is exactly what Carlos Alcaraz did on a heavy and hot Wednesday night. He did not have a great game by far, but he effectively got rid of Alexander Zverev in three sets (6-3, 6-2 and 6-4) and two and a half hours, becoming the youngest player to reach two semifinals. consecutive US Open titles since Agassi in 1988.
Carlos Alcaraz entered the quarterfinals with the best record of the season, with 57 wins and 6 losses (20 for 3 on hard courts), and after winning Wimbledon, he has accumulated 23 wins out of 24 games in his last 4 Grand Slam appearances. So far, he had only dropped one set, against Evans.
Zverev had just played the longest match of this US Open, a match that left him so exhausted that he could barely hold on between points. The number 12 had never beaten a player in the world's top 10 in a Grand Slam when he defeated the Italian, who was number 6. And that victory will see him climb back into the top-10.
In the tunnel interview before the match, the German nimbly dodged the question about how he felt after his grueling match against Sinner. “It was an amazing effort, an extremely difficult match. I'm glad to be back playing against the best, which is what I missed, ”he replied.
Alcaraz started the match with a double fault and had trouble hitting his first serve (54% in the first set), which prevented him from easily dictating the points. Willing to test the physical condition of his opponent, the Murcian lured him to the net with drop shots and made him run backwards with a tight lob. Sascha, surprisingly fresh, ran and got there. He would have to look for another tactic, the Murcian, but he does not lack tricks.
It was the German who saw the first two break points of these quarterfinals, but did not convert them and when he failed to score his first serves on three consecutive points, Alcaraz took advantage of the moment to attack and take the break at the first opportunity. At 5-3, he served up his best game to take the first set.
By sharpening his serve further during the second set, the Murcian was able to put more pressure on Zverev's game, who was conserving energy, letting some shots pass that he knew would be almost impossible to hit. With great efficiency, the Wimbledon champion was decisive, jumping on every opportunity he had to take Sascha's serve, in the third and seventh games, and thus close out the second set.
The tennis player from Hamburg did not break down and did not show signs of fatigue. Something more inspired, in the second game he created a chance for a break, which the man from El Palmar defended well. “Keep pushing there. Any leftovers ”, Juan Carlos Ferrero indicated to his pupil, but the German did not give him a chance and continued to create problems in the fourth game, with two more break points. Confidently, Carlitos surpassed them and equalized at 2.
The balance was held until 4-4 and at that point Alcaraz put the direct one to the goal. Firing surgically precise shots, accompanied by rallying cries, he broke Zverev at 5-4 and held his serve to earn his place in the final.
In the post-match press conference, not wanting to make excuses, Zverev said he sensed something was wrong. “I felt something in my left buttock. I could no longer support my service. The speed of my serve dropped. Especially against him (Alcaraz) he needed a good day of service or it was going to be difficult, ”he lamented. "I think I lost my best weapon after the first set and it's hard to compete if you don't have it."
For Carlos Alcaraz, the road continues on Friday, against Russian Daniil Medvedev, 2021 US Open champion. “Last year was very hard and from the fourth round I had to play five-set matches. This year I haven't had so many problems”, said the semifinalist. "I am ready for a great battle against Medvedev."
