Alcaraz beats Tiafoe in epic battle to join Ruud in final

Another crazy night for Alcaraz

In the quarter-finals, Carlito saved a match point against the Italian Jannik Sinner and then won in the New York night, after an anthological battle of 5 hours and 18 minutes (6-3, 6-7, 6-7, 7-5, 6-3). Against Tiafoe, he once again battled all night in Arthur Ashe Stadium and sent the crowd into a frenzy.

The two prodigies gave each other exceptional shots for exceptional shots. Like the Spaniard’s incredible defence, which finally nailed the American with an almost blind passing shot that brought the entire crowd to its feet. It’s also impossible to not mention Tiafoe’s legendary counter- dropshot after a long rally to save the match point in the fourth set and then win the set, which seemed to have been promised to the Spaniard.

Unfortunately for the young American, the feat was not repeated in the final set, largely due to legs that had become heavy over the course of the tournament. As a reminder, he had mentioned at the end of his victory over Nadal that he had to dig deep within himself. For his part, Alcaraz showed a physical form that was as impressive as ever. And what can we say about his mind ? A monster.

Another final against Ruud

The 19 year old Spanish world No. 4 won his first major semi-final. In the final, he will face Norwegian Casper Ruud, ranked 7th in the world, who will be playing in his second Grand Slam final, in a clash between two backcourt hitters who move at breakneck speed. Carlito will have the advantage of a slightly more complete technical palette and he will need it to deal with a slightly more powerful Ruud. The two men have so far faced each other twice : once on the challenger tour and once on the main tour. Both times the Spanish panther has won and the last time they met was in the final of this year’s Miami Masters 1000 (7-5, 6-4).

The stakes are high for both men : a first major title and the world number one ranking.

A reunion in the final that promises to be a great show !