Frances Tiafoe was a brave opponent, but Carlos Alcaraz beat him in five tough sets, 6-7(6) 6-3, 6-1, 6-7(5) 6-3, to reach his first Grand Slam final at the US Open.
The third seed, who lost to Alexander Zverev in the quarterfinals of the French Open earlier this season, lost the first set to the home favourite but did a great job of coming back from that.
In a memorable match of hard-hitting tennis, Tiafoe just wouldn’t give up. He gave the young Spaniard everything he had, but it wasn’t enough to beat him in a pulsating match in front of a large crowd.
Fifth-set king @carlosalcaraz is into the #USOpen final! pic.twitter.com/CamMVDVJxw
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 10, 2022
Alcaraz will play Casper Ruud in the final match on Sunday. Both players are rising stars who want to win their first Grand Slam title at Arthur Ashe Stadium, the sport’s biggest venue.
The tense first set was always going to end in a tie-break, and the result was just as predictable: Tiafoe made it 7-0 in breakers in this two-week period.
The crowd in New York was very loud, and the Americans took the lead early on, but Alcaraz kept his cool and fought his way back, which was very impressive.
At a key point in the second set, the 22nd seed’s serve was broken by the Spaniard. This made sure that his response was quick and clear. He was able to hold on to his break and finish the set to even things up.
🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸 pic.twitter.com/yzMikWp654
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 10, 2022
At that point, Alcaraz started to move away. He quickly got a break of serve in the third set to show that he was in charge, and Tiafoe was shocked that he could only play one game.
The beginning of the fourth set was similar to the first three. Alcaraz got a crucial break at 2-1 and seemed to be in control, but Tiafoe fought back again.
The 24-year-old from Maryland then took his tie-break record for the tournament to 8-0, putting the match on even terms and sending Alcaraz into yet another five-set marathon.
Again, Alcaraz got out to a quick lead in the fifth set, but again, he lost it because Tiafoe kept coming back from seemingly impossible situations to win.
1st Grand Slam final 🔥
2nd teenager to reach US Open men's final in Open Era 🔥
50th win of the year 🔥
No. 1 or No. 2 on Monday 🔥
🇪🇸 @carlosalcaraz kept electrifying the New York crowds tonight with a 6-7(6) 6-3 6-1 6-7(5) 6-3 semifinal win over Frances Tiafoe at the #USOpen
— TENNIS (@Tennis) September 10, 2022
After more than four hours of exciting action, Alcaraz was finally able to break through Tiafoe’s defences and build on his lead to win a classic semi-final.
When the 19-year-old sensation plays Ruud on Sunday night, it won’t be any easier for him because the Norwegian is much fresher after beating Karen Khachanov in straight sets earlier in the day.
The match on Sunday will be even more important because a Grand Slam title and the world No. 1 ranking are both at stake. Both players want to replace Daniil Medvedev at the top of the rankings.
