In the men's singles quarterfinals at the US Open, Carlos Alcaraz advanced to the semifinals with a dominant victory over Jiri Lehecka, winning 6-4, 6-2, 6-4. Alcaraz, the second seed, showcased a series of impressive shots and engaged the crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium by putting his hand to his ear to encourage their cheers.
This marks his first hard-court semifinal at a major tournament since he won his first Grand Slam title at the US Open in 2023. Lehecka commented on Alcaraz's performance, stating, “I kind of met the Grand Slam version of Carlos... He just showed that he is one of the contenders, for sure. Everyone knew that, and he proved that.”
At just 22-years-old, this is Alcaraz’s ninth major semifinal, a record surpassed only by Rafael Nadal, who had 10 before turning 23.
Alcaraz's next opponent in the semifinals will be Novak Djokovic, the 24-time Grand Slam champion who defeated Taylor Fritz 6-3, 7-5, 3-6, 6-4 in his quarterfinal match. Djokovic had previously beaten Alcaraz in the Australian Open quarterfinals in January and in the gold medal match at the Paris Olympics last year.
Alcaraz has a chance to reclaim the world No. 1 ranking from Jannik Sinner if he wins his second U.S. Open title. He admitted it's "really difficult not to think about it" but is trying to focus on his game. Before the match, Alcaraz plans to play golf with professional golfer Sergio Garcia and joked that he will need a significant handicap.
On the women's side, Jessica Pegula secured her spot in the US Open semifinals by defeating Barbora Krejcikova 6-3, 6-3. This is only the second time in her career she has reached the semifinals of a Grand Slam tournament. She broke her quarterfinal streak at Flushing Meadows a year ago, where she was defeated in the final by Aryna Sabalenka.
The two will face each other again in the semifinals after Sabalenka advanced via a walkover due to an injury withdrawal from Marketa Vondrousova. Pegula expressed her satisfaction with her performance, saying, “My biggest accomplishment last year was just getting past the quarterfinals... Now I can say I've done it twice.”
Also Read: Sinner opens US Open vs Kopriva, Sabalenka set for a challenge
The 31-year-old, seeded fourth, has now made back-to-back U.S. Open semifinals without dropping a set, a feat not accomplished since Serena Williams between 2011 and 2014. Pegula and Amanda Anisimova are the only remaining American women in the singles draw.
Although Pegula's performance was not flawless, she maintained control throughout the match against Krejcikova, who had a strong comeback in her previous round against Taylor Townsend. Pegula won the match in under 90 minutes on her first match point.
In other news from Tuesday's tournament, Venus Williams and Leylah Fernandez were eliminated from the women's doubles quarterfinals, losing 6-1, 6-2 to the top-seeded pair of Townsend and Katerina Siniakova. This marks the end of the 45-year-old Williams' first Grand Slam tournament in two years.
Looking ahead to Wednesday's schedule, Felix Auger-Aliassime will face Alex de Minaur, followed by Amanda Anisimova against second-seeded Iga Swiatek. The night session will feature Naomi Osaka, who recently defeated Coco Gauff, facing Karolina Muchova, followed by the men's No. 1 seed Jannik Sinner against fellow Italian Lorenzo Musetti.
Also Read: Osaka, Swiatek sail into US Open quarterfinals
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