The Spanish tennis player Carlos Alcaraz has been able to take revenge on his black beast, the Italian Jannik Sinner, in the quarterfinals of the US Open . The Murcian has prevailed with an epic victory in five sets (6-3, 6-7, 6-7, 7-5 and 6-3) to reach the semifinals and continue to opt to be the youngest player to reach the number one of world tennis.
Now he will face the American Frances Tiafoe , executioner of Rafa Nadal , in the first semifinal of his career in a Grand Slam.
Alcaraz exhibited himself during the five hours and fifteen minutes that the match lasted, the second longest duel in the history of the US Open. But his effort paid off and he eliminated Sinner, the tennis player who this year had deprived him of advancing at Wimbledon and who denied him the title in Umag.
an epic duel
Alcaraz faced a match point with Sinner on serve, 5-4 down in the fourth quarter, after receiving a warning from the judge for throwing a ball into the third ring of the Arthur Ashe out of frustration, not getting the key to hurt the Italian.
The Murcian saw his options melt away despite an excellent start to the match, in which he won the first set 7-5 and in which, based on spectacular blows, he had achieved, but wasted, up to five set points in the second sleeve.
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 8, 2022
It seemed like a doomed match for Alcaraz when, in the third set, he squandered a 4-2 lead and the chance to serve for the set at 6-5, giving up his serve and being swept away for a resounding 7-0 tiebreak.
After losing the third set, Alcaraz returned to the locker room to try to calm down and recover his lucidity, although Sinner, solid on serve and still brilliant with his legs, continued to take advantage of his tactical plan.
However, neither the break suffered at the opening of the fourth set, nor the valuable 0-30 wasted with Sinner on serve in the following game could knock Alcaraz down.
He managed to hang on and clung to the service to stay alive. He limited the damage going into the break 4-5 down, with Sinner one step away from the semifinals, but still with a chance.
Alcaraz changed his destiny after a match point from Sienner
The Italian got his first match point, but failed to convert it and his mistake then offered Alcaraz the coveted break point. After wasting thirteen of 21, he managed to give the blow to restore equality.
It was the spark that renewed Alcaraz’s physical and mental energies. Even Ferrero lost his usual calm to celebrate it in style and, in a few minutes, the Spanish tennis player forced the fifth set by winning 7-5.
Sinner seemed sunken and struggling to serve, but he didn’t give up his serve, instead hitting first and going up 3-2 on serve. A new, hard blow for Alcaraz, but once again insufficient to leave him KO.
The Murcian recovered the break immediately and chained four consecutive games to shield his ticket for the semifinals with a service winner.
He sentenced the match that ended later in the history of the United States Open and became, at 19 years old, the youngest semifinalist of a ‘big’ since his compatriot Rafa Nadal, who reached that round, with that same age , at Roland Garros in 2005.
