Alcaraz upsets No. 3 Tsitsipas
NEW YORK — Until now, 18-year-old Carlos Alcaraz has exhibited enough promise and precociousness to make people think he eventually could succeed Rafael Nadal as Spain’s top tennis player. On Friday at the U.S. Open, with a dramatic five-set victory over No. 3 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alcaraz showed why he’s been getting so much attention already.
With a tenacity to match his talent, and boosted by a rowdy Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd a tad tired of Tsitsipas’ penchant for taking lengthy breaks between sets, Alcaraz won 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (2), 0-6, 7-6 (5) in just over four hours to become the youngest man in the fourth round at Flushing Meadows since a couple of guys named Pete Sampras and Michael Chang in 1989.
“This victory means a lot to me. This is the best match of my career. The best win,” said the 55th-ranked Alcaraz, who was participating in only his 10th Grand Slam contest. “Dream come true for me.”
He made sure during his on-court interview at Arthur Ashe Stadium to thank the fans, who are making up for last year’s absence — no spectators were allowed because of the coronavirus pandemic then, but it’s full capacity now — with plenty of noise. They chanted “Let’s go, Carlos!” They rose to their feet for ovations at various points, including right before the concluding tiebreaker, with Alcaraz waving his arms for more.
“He can be a contender for Grand Slam titles,” said Tsitsipas, the runner-up at the French Open this year. “He has the game to be there.”
In earlier action, three women with multiple major titles each — Garbiñe Muguruza, Simona Halep and Angelique Kerber — pulled out three-set victories to advance to Week 2.
Muguruza got past Victoria Azarenka, a threetime U.S. Open runner-up including a year ago, 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 and next faces French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova. Kerber, who won the title in New York in 2016, defeated 2017 champ Sloane Stephens 5-7, 6-2, 6-3. And Halep was a 7-6 (11), 4-6, 6-3 winner over Elena Rybakina.
Halep said during her on-court interview that it was good to be playing this late in the U.S. Open for the first time in three years. Her brother sent her a message saying she actually hadn’t been to the fourth round since 2016.
“I correct it now,” she said during her news conference.
Alcaraz showed off so many skills against Tsitsipas. Big cuts off both wings, so big that this was the assessment offered by Tsitsipas: “I’ve never seen someone hit the ball so hard.” And that was backed up by the stats, none more remarkable than the one showing that Alcaraz finished with 45 winners off forehands and backhands, compared with 14 for Tsitsipas.
There was more. So much more. A serve with pop, reaching 134 mph. Returns that were too much to handle. And drop shots. So many drop shots.
As impressive as all of that may have been, nothing stood out about the kid as much as the mental strength required to hang in there in the crucible of a Grand Slam fifth set in the biggest arena in tennis against a top player.