- Carlos Alcaraz has sailed to the US Open 2023 semi-finals
- He defeated Alexander Zverev in the quarter-final match on Thursday
- Alcaraz won in three straight sets 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 at the Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York
Carlos Alcaraz has sailed to the US Open 2023 semi-finals after defeating Alexander Zverev in the quarter-final match on Thursday.
Alcaraz won in three straight sets 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 at the Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York. The world No. 1 booked a date with Daniil Medvedev in the last four.
His last set was dramatically aggressive. Alcaraz unleashed an outwide 116 mph serve on match point that Zverev couldn’t return.
This style of play sealed his three-set victory over the German who made a return to tennis this year after an eight-month hiatus due to injury.
The Spaniard teen quickly built a 40-15 lead and two and a half hours later, he finished the quarter-final in pomp and colour.
Still, tennis pundits say that Alcaraz did not bring his A-game to Arthur Ashe Stadium despite sending Zverev home in the last eight stage.
Alexander Zverev vs Carolos Alcaraz at the US Open quarter-finals. Photo/Sportstar – The Hindu.
However, the fact that he defeated him in straight sets to advance to a crucial stage in Flushing Meadows explains how great of a tennis player he is.
Speaking after the match, Alcaraz said that he feels good playing in New York and he is in his best form.
“I’m feeling really comfortable playing on this court, playing in New York. I’m feeling great physically. I’m feeling strong enough mentally. I think I’m really to play a great battle against Medvedev in the semi-final,” he said.
He praised Zverev as a one-of-a-kind tennis player saying that it was fantastic having him in New York this year.
Zverev dropped out of tour after picking an injury at the 2022 French Open which led to multiple surgery to repair his seven torn ligaments. It took eight months for him to fully recover and his ranking dropped from world No 2 to outside the top 20.
This wasn’t their first encounter this year as Alcaraz had an opportunity to play against him at the Madrid Open in Barcelona.
Alexander Zverev. Photo/USOpen.org
Then, the German was still healing and he admitted that he wasn’t in his best shape yet but he gave it his all.
“He said that he wasn’t ready to play at his best and he wasn’t ready to be there. I was sad about it because we’ve had big fights, played in big matches. Of course, seeing him in the quarter-finals of a grand slam again, playing his best, I’m so, so happy for him. He was working really, really hard to come back at his best. Finally, we all see him showing his best tennis on the court,” Alcaraz recalls.
Following his qualification to the US Open quarterfinals warned his opponents they would suffer greatly before knocking him out of this tournament. Alcaraz is optimistic that he is in incredible physical shape and he has an aggressive game plan to unleash in his matches. He has no doubt at all.
As a defending US Open champion, Alcaraz is giving his all to bagging his third Grand Slam. His splendid performance will hopefully book him yet another date with Novak Djokovic who qualified for the semis and will play with Ben Shelton.
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