At 2.50 a.m. local time, when the latest match in US Open history had come to an end, the two tennis gladiators Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner fell into each other’s arms, completely exhausted.
There was a standing ovation from the fans at Arthur Ashe Stadium, who had been completely entertained in 5:15 hours earlier. The dramatic quarter-final match on Thursday night at the last Grand Slam tournament of the year will not only be remembered for its late hour.
The two young stars delivered a final-worthy, almost epic exchange of blows with many brilliant rallies and great tension. In the end, the 19-year-old Spaniard Alcaraz brought the two-year older Italian Sinner to his knees with 6:3, 6:7 (7:9), 6:7 (0:7), 7:5 and 6:3. But they both received a huge round of applause.
“You always have to believe in yourself “
“Honestly, I don’t know how I did it,” said Alcaraz after his first semi-final at a Grand Slam tournament, for which he had to work extremely hard and even fend off a match point against himself. “You always have to believe in yourself. You always have to lose hope last.”
The support from the spectators helped, the world number four explained: “The energy I felt on the court at three o’clock in the morning was incredible. In other tournaments, on other courts, everyone would probably have gone home to sleep. “
Alcaraz, in his victory speech on the court, which was visibly difficult for him after the feat, also praised opponent Sinner for the gripping but always fair fight: “He’s a great player, his level is just incredible.”
The dejected South Tyrolean could take little comfort from that. “I’ve had some tough defeats before, but this goes to the top of the list,” Sinner said sadly, “I think this will hurt for a while. “
In the semi-finals against Frances Tiafoe
Alcaraz, who could not return to his hotel until 3.45am after the press conference ended, became the youngest Grand Slam semi-finalist since compatriot Rafael Nadal (2005 French Open). He also preserved his chance to take the lead in the world rankings after the tournament.
Alcaraz will meet Frances Tiafoe in the semi-finals on Friday. The 24-year-old won 7:6 (7:3), 7:6 (7:0), 6:4 against the by no means disappointing Russian Andrei Rublyov and became the first US-American since Andy Roddick in 2006 to reach the round of the best four at his home tournament. Norway’s Casper Ruud and Russia’s Karen Khachanov will face each other in the second semi-final.
“He has a lot of confidence right now and the venue is also special for him,” Alcaraz said of the US-based Tiafoe. He expects a “top match” – but his quarter-final against Sinner will be hard to top.
