US Open 2022: Carlos Alcaraz enters semis after historic and record-breaking win over Jannik Sinner
Carlos Alcaraz has created history at the 2022 US Open and entered his maiden Grand Slam semis. He defeated Jannik Sinner in a record-breaking most protracted encounter of the competition. He will be facing Frances Tiafoe in the semis.
It was a historic and record-breaking moment at the US Open 2022 on Thursday morning. The quarterfinal clash between Carlos Alcaraz of Spain and Jannik Sinner of Italy saw a 2:50 AM finish in the United States of America (USA). The contest lasted for five hours and 15 minutes, the second longest in the tournament's history. The five-setter match ended in the Spaniard's favour, as he won 6-3, 6-7(7), 6-7(0), 7-5, 6-3, during which he saved a match point in the fourth set. Also, with this victory, he has qualified for his maiden Grand Slam semis, while he will be hoping to become the youngest world number one in the ATP Rankings by Monday if he goes on to lift the title.
Following the toiling success, Alcaraz noted, "Honestly, I still don't know how I did it. You have to believe in yourself. I believed in my game. It was complicated to close out the match. I tried to stay calm, but it wasn't easy at the moment. I am going to enjoy [achieving] my first semi-final of a Grand Slam, and tomorrow will be the time to think about the match [with Tiafoe]."
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After the match, the head-to-head meeting between the two is now 2-2, while Alcaraz had lost his earlier two matches to Sinner. As for this tie, the Spaniard inflicted 58 winners and 38 unforced errors. He had received enough opportunities in the second and third set before to convert his chances, missing out on five set points while failing to serve it out in the third set.
Sinner was brutal in the third set tie-breaker, winning 7-0, while he attained an early break in the fourth. He hit 11 double faults throughout the match and served for the match at 5-4. However, Alcaraz did not wish to give up and delivered remarkable power strokes from the baseline, winning the concluding four games to seal his semis spot.