Highlights
- Carlos Alcaraz beats Jannik Sinner in five sets.
- Alcaraz has made it to the semifinal of a Grand Slam for the first time.
- He will now face Frances Tiafoe in semifinal.
US Open 2022: Spain's Carlos Alcaraz has thumped Italy's Jannik Sinner in a thriller quarterfinal at the ongoing US Open on Wednesday night. The match witnessed some highest quality of tennis as both the players gave it their all in a five-set affair. The 19-year-old Alcaraz prevailed by 6-3, 6-7 (7-9), 6-7 (0-7), 7-5, 6-3 to reach a semifinal of a Grand Slam for the first time. He is also the youngest to reach the final four at the Flushing Meadows since Pete Sampras won the major when he was 19 in 1990.
The match lasted for five hours and 15 minutes and has become the second longest match in the US Open's history. Third-seeded Alcaraz belted the first set by 6-3 against 11th-seeded Sinner to start on a high. But Sinner made a brilliant comeback in the second set, saving four set points before taking it into the tiebreaker. The Italian Sinner took the closely fought tiebreaker by 9-7. The third set was also a nail-biter and it again went down the wire as Sinner won another set in the tiebreaker.
The winds were flowing against the 19-year-old Alcaraz as Sinner obtained 1 3-1 lead in the fourth set but the Spaniard bounced back and saved a match point and took the fourth set. Alcaraz didn't leave his momentum in the decider and won the match in the final set.
With this Alcaraz has set his meeting with America's Frances Tiafoe in the semifinal. Tiafoe defeated Andrey Rublev in the quarterfinal in straight sets and had earlier knocked Rafael Nada out in the round of 16.
The second semifinal line-up is also set as Casper Ruud will take on Karen Khachanov.
