Carlos Alcaraz is really picking up steam in his quest for the US Open title.
Carlos Alcaraz is increasingly emerging as the clear favorite at the US Open. The defending champion from Spain had no trouble even against American fan favorite Tommy Paul and advanced to the quarterfinals in New York. With a 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 victory, Alcaraz delivered his most consistent performance of the tournament so far.
“I’m very, very happy with the performance,” said Alcaraz, who had only returned at the start of the US Open after several months on the sidelines due to injury. When asked in the on-court interview whether he had already regained his former strength, Alcaraz replied: “I think so,” he replied.
His next opponent, however, could prove to be a much tougher challenge for the Spaniard. U.S. hopeful Ben Shelton will face the resurgent two-time Grand Slam finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas on Sunday evening (New York time) for a spot in the highly anticipated quarterfinals. Shelton most recently triumphed at the Masters in Montréal.
US Open: Alcaraz in a New Shirt
Alcaraz surprised everyone in his match against Paul with a new pale gray shirt. His dominant style of play remained unchanged, however, and Paul was rarely able to pose a problem for the Spaniard.
Alcaraz’s main title rival, Alexander Zverev, had already expressed his admiration before the match for the seven-time Grand Slam champion’s performance following a break of about four and a half months.
Alcaraz dropped only one set in his first four matches—the top-seeded Zverev, on the other hand, had already had to battle through two five-set matches before securing a straight-sets victory over Alejandro Tabilo in the third round.