Carlos Alcaraz has reached his first semifinal of a Grand Slam tournament, but not in any way. He has done it after being on the ropes in a grueling match of more than five hours, the second longest in the history of the US Open and the one that later ended. Against Jannik Sinner, the other giant of the new generation, he saved a match point after having lost two tie breaks, with the mental strength that this requires, and ended up turning the score around and taking the match in the fifth set (6- 3, 6-7, 6-7, 7-5, 6-3). No less historic is the presence of her rival, Frances Tiafoe, in the semifinal, in which she is also a debutant. The American is the first black man, since Arthur Ashe (after whom the tournament’s center court is named) in 1972, to reach this stage of the US Open. Also, for the first time, he will enter the top 20 of the ATP ranking.
The confrontation between Murcia and Maryland will be played during the early hours of Friday 9 to Saturday 10 September, starting at 01:00 (Spanish time). By then, both tennis players will already know the name of the rival they expect in the final, which will come from the clash between the candidate for number one in the world, Casper Ruud, and the Russian Karen Khachanov. The two also debut in the semifinals of the US Open. The Alcaraz meeting can be seen live on Eurosport.
The man from El Palmar has definitely put his confidence problems behind him and is showing that he is capable of handling himself in situations of maximum pressure. At just 19 years old, he has a shot at first place in the ATP ranking. He could become the youngest leader in circuit history. For this, it is enough for him to beat Tiafoe and get into the final of the US Open, as long as Ruud falls to Khachanov. If he reaches the final and has to face the Norwegian, the duel will not only be for the American throne, but for the world championship, double prize.
Alcaraz starred in a period match against the one who aims to be his staunch rival throughout his career, Jannik Sinner, number 13 in the individual classification. The second longest duel in the history of the Open, the one that ended later and one of the best so far this year, if not the best. Five sets full of creativity, impossible hits, drama and plot twists. Exchanges of dropshots, lobs or powerful rights, the repertoire of Spanish and Italian is inexhaustible. After a first set in which Alcaraz prevailed with relative solvency, Sinner took the next two sets in sudden death.
What would be a totally demoralizing blow for anyone has not been for the Murcian, who even saved a match point to turn the score around and force a fifth and final set, the tiebreaker. There yes, Alcaraz was superior and closed a legendary meeting, which is already part of the history of the fourth Grand Slam tournament. Waiting for the semifinal is Tiafoe, Rafa Nadal’s executioner and the first black man since 1972 to reach this stage of the championship. In addition to his accomplishments on the track, he is recognized for his social activism and fight against racism, for which he received the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award in 2020.
