Carlos Alcaraz, defending champion, qualified for the semi-finals of the US Open on Wednesday by beating the German Alexander Zverev (12th) in three short sets (6-3, 6-2, 6-4) and will face 2021 winner Daniil Medvedev for a place in the final. “I feel very good on this court, in New York. I am ready to face Daniil in the semi-finals,” said the 20-year-old Spaniard. Last year, he won his first Grand Slam title at Flushing Meadows, becoming at the same time at 19 the youngest world number 1 in history.
On Wednesday, Zverev had obviously left too many forces to eliminate Jannik Sinner in the round of 16 after the longest match of the tournament (five sets in 4:41) to be able to resist the power and omnipresence of Alcaraz. He also took a medical timeout after losing the second set. He fought to the end but was never able to threaten Alcaraz who multiplied spectacular blows.
“I play for me, my team, but also for the people watching. So I try things that people are not used to seeing and that they can appreciate,” commented the Spaniard. He is the player on the circuit with the most wins to his credit this season (58 including the quarter-final against Zverev), ahead of Medvedev (54). This year, Alcaraz missed the Australian Open through injury, lost to Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals at Roland Garros and won Wimbledon, his second Major to date, beating Djokovic.
