Playing later into the New York night than any before them, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner went toe-to-toe in a marathon, five-set quarterfinal in Arthur Ashe Stadium.The Spaniard staved off match point and emerged from the instant classic into his first career Grand Slam semifinal.
— Carlos Alcaraz (@carlosalcaraz) September 8, 2022
Wednesday night/Thursday morning in Arthur Ashe Stadium would belong to Alcaraz, who saved a match point to prevail in a five-set thriller that lingered until a record 2:50 a.m., finalizing with a score of 6-3, 6-7(7), 6-7(0), 7-5, 6-3. The five-hour, 15-minute match is the latest finish in US Open history.
Alcaraz is the youngest man to reach the US Open quarterfinals in back-to-back years since Aussie legends Lew Hoad and Ken Rosewall in 1952-53.
Alcaraz became the youngest Grand Slam men’s semifinalist since his countryman Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros in 2005, and the youngest US Open men’s semifinalist since Pete Sampras in 1990.
“I still don’t know how I did it,” said Alcaraz. “The level that I played, the level of the match, the high quality of the tennis. It’s unbelievable, the match today. Jannik Sinner is a great player. As everybody could see, his level is just amazing.”
“I always say, you have to believe in yourself,” said Alcaraz, who remains in contention for becoming the youngest No. 1 in the history of the ATP rankings. “Hope is the last thing that you lose. I just believed in myself, believed in my game.”
Alcaraz meets 22nd seed Frances Tiafoe in what will be both players’ first major semifinal. Alcaraz dropped their only previous encounter last year on clay in Barcelona, a 6-4, 7-6(2) decision in the first round.
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