Carlos Alcaraz faces Daniil Medvedev, closer to defending the title

Top seed Carlos Alcaraz won 6-3, 6-2, 6-4, defeating Alexander Zverev in the final men's singles quarter-final, thereby winning a ticket to the 2023 US Open semi-finals and will face Daniil Medvedev.

Carlos Alcaraz sẽ thi đấu với Daniil Medvedev tại bán kết US Open 2023

Carlos Alcaraz competes at the 2023 US Open. (Source: Reuters)

Carlos Alcaraz needs just two more wins to successfully defend his US Open men's singles title. However, the matches ahead will not be easy as the 20-year-old Spaniard will have to face Medvedev in the semi-finals and possibly Novak Djokovic in the final.

"I feel very comfortable playing on this court, playing in New York. I'm showing my best form," Alcaraz said after the match.

Last year was very difficult, since the 4th round I played 5 sets every match to get to the final. This year my longest match was only 4 sets.

I feel very good physically and ready for the big match with Medvedev in the semi-finals."

Although Zverev struggled to match Alcaraz's power from the baseline, the Spaniard's variety, speed and strong legs saw him overcome his German opponent in just three sets.

Perhaps Zverev had to play 5 sets in the 4th round, with a time of 4 hours and 41 minutes against Jannik Sinner 2 days ago, which exhausted his physical strength, while Alcaraz was very energetic because he only played less than 2 hours in the 4th round to win against Matteo Arnaldi. Therefore, the challenge Zverev created for Alcaraz in this quarterfinal match was not big.

With the right to serve first in the first set, Alcaraz continuously took the lead and Zverev tried to catch up, maintaining the pressure. In the 7th game, Alcaraz successfully saved 2 break-points to protect the game, and in the next game he successfully broke the game, creating a turning point leading to a 6-3 victory.

In set 2, Alcaraz played solidly and took full advantage of the smallest opportunities. With breaks in the 3rd and 7th games, Alcaraz quickly won 6-2. In set 3, Alcaraz continued to serve well, with only a break in the 9th game being enough to help him advance to a 6-4 victory.

In this match, Alcaraz performed a number of serve-to-net shots, achieving a success rate of up to 28/35, interspersed with strong, powerful shots typical of the 20-year-old player, causing Zverev to lose balance.

Alcaraz created 29 winners, more than Zverev's 22, the top seed saved all five break-points faced while winning four.

Zverev was effective on his first serve, winning 68% of his first serves and 73% of his first serves, but the German often lost points on his return, winning just 7 points on his 25 second serves.

After losing in the US Open quarter-finals, Zverev received consolation when he returned to the ATP top 10 in the rankings announced early next week.

Source