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Alcaraz beats Sinner in epic 3am finish at US Open

The third seed will face Frances Tiafoe on Friday for a spot in Sunday's final.

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by The Star

Realtime08 September 2022 - 14:45
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In Summary


• Alcaraz, 19, saved a match point before clinching an epic 6-3 6-7 (7-9) 6-7 (0-7) 7-5 6-3 win over 11th seed Sinner.

• "I still don't know how I did it. The level I played of high quality tennis. It's unbelievable," said Alcaraz.

Carlos Alcaraz clinched victory against Jannik Sinner after five hours and 15 minutes.

Spanish teenager Carlos Alcaraz reached his first major semi-final after beating Italy's Jannik Sinner in a US Open thriller which ended at a record latest time of 2.50am in New York.

Alcaraz, 19, saved a match point before clinching an epic 6-3 6-7 (7-9) 6-7 (0-7) 7-5 6-3 win over 11th seed Sinner.

The third seed will face Frances Tiafoe on Friday for a spot in Sunday's final.

The American, 24, also plays in a first major semi-final after his 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-0) 6-4 win over Andrey Rublev.

"I still don't know how I did it. The level I played of high quality tennis. It's unbelievable," said Alcaraz, who is the youngest man to reach a Grand Slam semi-final since Rafael Nadal at the 2005 French Open.

"I always say you have to believe in yourself all the time. Hope is the last thing you use. I believed in myself, my game."

A first-time Grand Slam champion is already guaranteed in the men's singles at Flushing Meadows, with Norway's Casper Ruud and Russia's Karen Khachanov contesting the other semi-final.

Alcaraz and 23-year-old Ruud also have a shot of becoming the new world number one as an intriguing tournament nears a conclusion.


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