NEW YORK, Sept 7: World number one Carlos Alcaraz vanquished Alexander Zverev 6-3 6-2 6-4 on Wednesday to complete an all-star US Open men’s semi-final lineup that features three Flushing Meadows champions and a big-hitting American wildcard.
Daniil Medvedev, the 2021 winner, overcame brutal heat and fellow Russian Andrey Rublev 6-4 6-3 6-4 to set up a Friday meeting with defending champion Alcaraz.
A clash between the last two US Open winners Alcaraz and Medvedev is an obvious attraction but Djokovic and Shelton is perhaps the more intriguing – the 23-times Grand Slam winner going up against the fearless Shelton, who has said his approach will be to close his eyes and swing away.
By the time Alcaraz and Zverev appeared on Arthur Ashe for the late match much of the sting had been taken out of the brutal conditions that Medvedev and Rublev faced.
Still, there were concerns about how prepared Zverev would be to challenge the energetic Alcaraz after playing the longest match of the tournament – a nearly five hour, five-set marathon in punishing conditions on Monday against Jannik Sinner.
German Zverev, a US Open finalist in 2020, showed up ready to fight but after some initial resistance the tank emptied and it was a straightforward win for Alcaraz in the end.
The Spaniard had only four break point chances through the entire contest but made each one of them count in a brilliant display.
Unruly fans
Alexander Zverev felt he had to react when he heard a fan use language from Adolf Hitler’s Nazi regime during his US Open match.
This was not the type of heckling that players are prepared to face and trained to ignore.
It highlighted a challenge faced by players and the US Open itself as the event draws the biggest crowds in its history: making sure fans are engaged but not disrupting the tennis – and how to respond when they do.
In the case of Zverev’s match, the spectator was sitting in a crowded section close to the court, where many more people besides the 2020 runner-up could hear the offensive words. So Zverev complained to the chair umpire and the man was ejected.
“At the end of the day I said what I said, the umpire immediately said, OK, we’re going to get him out,’ and that’s it,” Zverev said.
Keys thrives on
home support
American Madison Keys rode the home crowd’s support at Arthur Ashe Stadium to swat aside Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova 6-1 6-4 and reach the semi-finals.
Keys, runner-up in 2017, has suffered a handful of early exits at her home Grand Slam in recent years but has excelled in the 2023 edition and is flourishing under the bright lights at Flushing Meadows. She next faces second seed Aryna Sabalenka, who dispatched China’s Zheng Qinwen 6-1 6-4 earlier on Wednesday to reach her fifth Grand Slam semi-final in a row. (Agencies)
