Alcaraz Crushes and Advances to US Open Semis: Djokovic in Sight

Alcaraz advances to US Open semifinals with authority

Carlos Alcaraz, exhibited his best tennis at the US Open, securing his place in the semifinals after defeating Jiri Lehecka in the quarterfinals. The Spanish tennis player, second seed, demonstrated his dominance with a score of 6-4, 6-2, 6-4. Alcaraz, with gestures of celebration towards the public and spectacular shots, advanced to his first hard court semi-final in a Grand Slam since he won the US Open in 2023.

“I ran into Carlos’ Grand Slam version. He showed that he is one of the contenders, no doubt. Everyone knew it, and he proved it,” Lehecka commented.

Jiri Lehecka

At 22 years old, Alcaraz has reached his ninth semifinal in a tournament of this magnitude. In the Open era, only Rafael Nadal and Boris Becker surpass this number before turning 23, with 10 each. A highlight is that Alcaraz is the only male player who has not conceded any set in the tournament. In addition, he is the youngest tennis player to reach the US Open semi-finals without losing a set since Jim Courier in 1991. In the next phase, Alcaraz will face Novak Djokovic, who defeated Taylor Fritz in a four-set match. A victory at the US Open could position Alcaraz as number one in the world, surpassing Jannik Sinner.

“It’s hard not to think about it. I try not to do it every time I step on the court. If I think too much about the number 1, I put pressure on myself and I don’t want that. I just want to play, follow my goals in the match and enjoy it as much as possible. The number 1 is there, but I try not to think about it too much,” Alcaraz declared.

Carlos Alcaraz

Before his match with Djokovic, Alcaraz plans to play golf with Sergio García, 2017 Masters champion. Alcaraz joked about needing a handicap in the game.

“He has to give me between 10 and 15 hits. It will be great. I’m not that good, Sergio, come on”, added Alcaraz.

Carlos Alcaraz

Alcaraz’s serve has been almost impeccable, holding his serve in 68 of his 69 games, with 34 consecutive games won. His only lost service game is the fewest for a men’s US Open semi-finalist since Nadal in 2013. Alcaraz has shown an impressive performance since the start of the Rome Masters in May, winning 35 of his last 36 matches. Lehecka, for his part, was looking to become the first Czech man to reach a Grand Slam semi-final since Tomas Berdych in 2017. Regardless of the result, Lehecka will debut in the ATP Top 20 in the next ranking update.