Jannik Sinner played his part in a US Open classic against Carlos Alcaraz in the early hours of Thursday morning. The Italian hammered the ball with unrelenting force throughout the five-hour, 15-minute clash, but was unable to prevail, with the Spaniard showing his fighting spirit and quality to advance in five sets.

The 21-year-old, who squandered a match point in the fourth set, admitted that his loss against Alcaraz will haunt him for a while.

“I had some tough losses. This is in the top list,” Sinner said in his post-match press conference. “Concerning the rest of the tournament, I think this one will hurt for quite a while. But tomorrow I [will] wake up, trying to somehow take only the positives, trying to take away the other part.”

Sinner edged past Daniel Altmaier and Ilya Ivashka in five sets en route to his fourth Grand Slam quarter-final. However, with a first major semi-final on the line, the 11th seed was unable to find a way past Alcaraz in their fourth ATP Head2Head meeting.

Despite his disappointment, Sinner was pleased with his showing on Arthur Ashe Stadium in a performance that captured the world’s attention.

“It was a good match from my side and from his side,” Sinner said. “I could finish in three sets, could finish in four sets, could finish in five sets. The level was high. At some point I didn’t serve that well, but he was returning well. It was a good match. Obviously the crowd was good. For me only the second time on Ashe. So it was a good match for sure.”

Sinner leaves Flushing Meadows holding a 42-12 record on the season. The Italian captured his sixth tour-level title when he defeated Alcaraz in the Umag final in July and is up to No. 11 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings following his run in New York.

“I feel good. I think we have improved a lot physically in the last month, so I was ready for a tough, tough battle. I feel physically more ready to play these kinds of matches for hours and hours,” Sinner said when reflecting on his recent progress.

“Many positives I think in this week. The first week I didn’t play my best tennis, for sure. But today I raised it because he’s the kind of player who makes you raise the level.”

The 2019 Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals titlist is currently 14th in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin. The Italian will be aiming to finish the season strong and qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals in November, having competed as an alternate last year.

Carlos Alcaraz defeated Jannik Sinner in the early hours of Thursday morning at the US Open in a classic five-hour, 15-minute match that captured the world’s attention.

Stars from inside and outside the tennis world, including Stan Wawrinka and Coco Gauff reacted to the quarter-final clash on social media, with many calling it the match of the year.

Read More From The Quarter-Final Match
Alcaraz Saves MP; Outlasts Sinner In Historic US Open QF Thriller
Alcaraz: ‘The Energy I Received Was Unbelievable’
Alcaraz Qualifies For Turin

How good is this match #Alcaraz – #Sinner ? @usopen 🔥💣

— Stanislas Wawrinka (@stanwawrinka) September 8, 2022

Can’t get any better …@janniksin vs @carlosalcaraz
I just found myself screaming in my room, is it normal?😹

— Feliciano López (@feliciano_lopez) September 8, 2022

this match is insane. I leave at 6am for the airport but I refuse to sleep and miss this. #Sinner #Alcaraz

— Coco Gauff (@CocoGauff) September 8, 2022

Sign me up for the next 10 years of Sinner vs Alcaraz matches. This has been a delight

— Laura Robson (@laurarobson5) September 8, 2022

Worth staying up for. #Alcaraz #Sinner incredible tennis.

— Ben Stiller (@BenStiller) September 8, 2022

Thank you to @janniksin & @carlosalcaraz for showing us the future of tennis now.

Incredible in every possible way @usopen @espn

— Patrick McEnroe (@PatrickMcEnroe) September 8, 2022

These guys are going to be great! This tennis is INSANE!!!!!! Absolutely insane! @janniksin @carlosalcaraz @usopen @espn

— Rennae Stubbs OLY (@rennaestubbs) September 8, 2022

These guys are going to be great! This tennis is INSANE!!!!!! Absolutely insane! @janniksin @carlosalcaraz @usopen @espn

— Rennae Stubbs OLY (@rennaestubbs) September 8, 2022

Been watching 4 sets live front row… UN-REAL #playstationtennis

— Kirsten Flipkens (@FlipperKF) September 8, 2022

This match is insaaaaane 💥🇺🇸🗽 @usopen pic.twitter.com/t6czV2jJm5

— EdouardRogerVasselin (@ERogerVasselin) September 8, 2022

Is this the best match of the year?

— Pam Shriver (@PHShriver) September 8, 2022

#alcaraz #sinner #usopen phewwwwwwwwwwww🔥🔥🔥🔥

— Rohan Bopanna (@rohanbopanna) September 8, 2022

This is video game tennis. Can’t wait to watch these two battle for years.

— James Blake (@JRBlake) September 8, 2022

Carlos Alcaraz broke new ground in the early hours of Thursday morning when he edged Jannik Sinner in a five-set thriller to reach his first Grand Slam semi-final. Under the lights on Arthur Ashe Stadium, the Spaniard saved one match point en route to a historic victory.

“I feel great to be in my first semi-final in a Grand Slam,” Alcaraz said in his post-match press conference. “I feel better reaching a semi-final here [at the] US Open. This tournament is amazing. The crowd is amazing, I would say the best in the world.”

In an epic clash between two former Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals champions that finished at 2:50 a.m. local time, it was the 19-year-old Alcaraz who prevailed after five hours and 15 minutes. The match broke the record for the latest finish in tournament history and was the second-longest clash in US Open history.

“Probably at the end of the match, I was [at] my end. It was really, really tough for me,” Alcaraz said. “[But], during the whole match, five hours, 15 minutes of the match, I felt great physically. The level of tennis that we played, it was really, really high. But I felt great.

“The energy I received in this court at 3 a.m., it was unbelievable,” Alcaraz later added. “I mean, probably in other tournaments, everybody [would go] to their house to rest. But they [stayed] in the court, supporting me. It was unbelievable.”

Alcaraz, who with the win qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals for the first time, has now improved to 49-9 on the season. The two-time ATP Masters 1000 titlist will next play Frances Tiafoe on Friday. The American downed Andrey Rublev to become the first American man to reach the semi-finals since 2006, when Andy Roddick advanced to the championship match.

“It’s going to be really, really tough,” Alcaraz said when looking ahead to the match. “Everybody knows the level of Frances. He has beaten Rafa Nadal and Rublev. He’s playing unbelievably right now. High confidence. He loves the crowd. He loves this court. I’m going to have to play my best.”

Did You Know?
Alcaraz has the opportunity to become the youngest World No. 1 in the history of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings next Monday. The 19-year-old can achieve the feat by lifting his first major trophy or if he reaches the final and Casper Ruud does not.

Nobody will soon forget the epic US Open quarter-final between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. In a classic encounter that shattered the record for latest finish in tournament history when play ended at 2:50 a.m., Alcaraz outlasted Sinner 6-3, 6-7(7), 6-7(0), 7-5, 6-3, saving one match point in the fourth set en route to his five-hour, 15-minute triumph. The battle was the second-longest match in US Open history.

The Spaniard saved match point at 4-5 in the fourth set and rallied to maintain his hopes of becoming the youngest World No. 1 in the history of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings next Monday. The 19-year-old, who with the win qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals for the first time, will face American Frances Tiafoe on Friday in the semi-finals. 

“Honestly, I still don’t know how I did it,” Alcaraz said. “You have to believe in yourself. I believed in my game.

“It was really difficult to close out the match. I tried to stay calm, but it is difficult in the moment.”

The fans inside Arthur Ashe Stadium arrived for a tennis match on Wednesday evening. By the time the clock struck midnight, that clash turned into a heavyweight fight. More than two hours later, both men were still bludgeoning the ball with unrelenting force and showed incredible speed and athleticism to repel each other’s attacks. A large portion of the crowd remained and encouraged both players, which made for an unforgettable atmosphere despite the late hour.

As much skill was on display in the match, there was just as much courage and will. Both men refused to lose, but only one was able to advance. It was as if the former Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals champions were playing a video game, hitting “maximum power” and only rarely missing. “Seems like i am watching a table tennis match,” Spanish veteran Feliciano Lopez tweeted.

Seems like i am watching a table tennis match🔥@janniksin vs @carlosalcaraz

— Feliciano López (@feliciano_lopez) September 8, 2022

Three-time major winner Stan Wawrinka also chimed in with his praise, asking “How good is this match Alcaraz-Sinner?”

How good is this match #Alcaraz – #Sinner ? @usopen 🔥💣

— Stanislas Wawrinka (@stanwawrinka) September 8, 2022

The level was so high, the match may be remembered as the moment in which Alcaraz and Sinner stepped out of the shadow of the ‘Big Three’ era. Their fourth ATP Head2Head meeting lived up to the hype and felt like more than a quarter-final. Alcaraz, who lost twice against Sinner in the past three months, levelled their rivalry at 2-2 behind 58 winners compared to just 38 unforced errors.

“I am going to enjoy [achieving] my first semi-final of a Grand Slam and tomorrow will be the time to think about the match [with Tiafoe],” Alcaraz said.

Alcaraz was unable to convert opportunities to win the second and third sets, which nearly proved fatal. The 19-year-old let slip five set points in the second set and was unable to serve out the third set. 

The teen unleashed haymaker after haymaker to put himself in a winning position in both sets, but Sinner repeatedly bounced off the ropes and swung back with force. Those moments were less about what Alcaraz did wrong and more about what Sinner did well, as he raised his level and often hit highlight-reel shots.

When the Italian played an exquisite third-set tie-break, which he won 7/0, the momentum was firmly on his side. An early break in the fourth set helped his cause. Alcaraz broke back once, but quickly relinquished that advantage by hitting a double fault to let slip his momentum.

Sinner, who hit 11 double faults in the match, served for his place in the semi-final at 5-4 in the fourth set. Although his serve got him out of some trouble, Alcaraz never went away and again battled back onto even terms.

The 21-year-old Sinner then led by a break in the third set, but Alcaraz never went away, continuing to fire with his remarkable power from the baseline. The Spaniard won the final four games of the clash to advance.

“It’s not easy to talk now because I finished the match not so long ago. But it was a good match from my side, from his side. Could finish in three sets, could finish in four sets, could finish in five sets. The level was high,” Sinner said. “At some point I didn’t serve that well, but he was returning well. It was a good match. Obviously the crowd was good. For me only the second time on Ashe. So it was a good match for sure. But a very, very tough one.”

For some time, there was competition between Casper Ruud and his father, Christian Ruud. Casper had plenty of marks to surpass as a professional tennis player in order to ‘beat’ his father. It was competition in good fun, but competition nonetheless.

Christian won 115 tour-level matches and climbed as high as No. 39 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, both of which are impressive achievements. Their ‘rivalry’ did not last long, though.

Over the past few years, Casper has stormed past those benchmarks. Now into the semi-finals of the US Open, a maiden major trophy and World No. 1 are both within his grasp.

“We are just trying to take one match at a time. It’s still far away, I think,” Christian said. “But of course it’s nice that it’s possible, and Casper has a little bit of motivation with that in mind, because even when he was small, his ultimate goal was to be No. 1 in the world.”

Christian has been there to help guide Casper every step of the way. With the exception of two-and-a-half years as a teen — during which Pedro Rico led the way — Christian has coached Casper, and still does today.

“I think it is just natural for us. I think we are also more like friends. We have the same hobbies. We play golf together. We watch movies together. We like sometimes have the same hobbies, in a way,” Christian said. “I think when he was 16 I kind of stepped aside a little bit. He had a coach from Spain for two-and-a-half years. I think that was the age where it’s a good frame not to have the father two steps behind.”

When Rico coached Casper, it was not like Christian was out of the picture. He just took a step back from the day-to-day work on court.

“He was still sort of the head of the team, in a way,” Casper recalled. “He was still doing all the planning for us, and he was still in contact with my other coach almost every day during practice weeks and he would come to some tournaments.”

When Rico and Ruud stopped working together, Christian began to explore other potential coaches for his son. That is not what Casper wanted, though.

“We looked at some options, but I said that, ‘I’m more comfortable with you being around’ and having him around,” Casper said. “I know that a coach will do so much for you and help you be very helpful, but when it’s the father as well, you feel like you are taken extra care of, because a father will care maybe those extra percentages because he’s your family.”

It also helps that Christian has been in Casper’s shoes. While he did not enjoy quite as much success, he played in 24 Grand Slam main draws and faced Top 10 opponents 22 times, winning four of those matches. That is why if his son loses a match, he never gets upset.

“I know the feeling. Just from day one I just try to say to him, ‘As long as you try your best in every match, I will never be disappointed,’” Christian said. “So I think he has that calmness that he knows I understand the game and that I have been there, and that we are kind of in this together in a way.”

As a coach, Christian also knows what training techniques translate to matches and which waste time.

“I think maybe I’m a little bit better than many other parents that don’t know tennis to have that quality during the trainings and [to] do the right things,” Christian said. “All those other things that I learned when I was playing myself, I did many mistakes and I did some things right, and I just tried to pass that on to Casper to the good experiences and the good things that I remember. I tried to give that on to him and tried to avoid the bad things or the stupid mistakes I did on my path.”

Christian still remembers when pre-teen Casper told him he wanted to focus on tennis. After he played well as a 13-year-old in the Under-14 European Championships, Christian saw he had “something special”. Yet nowhere along the journey has Christian forced his son to pursue tennis.

Now, Casper is among the very best players in the world. With two more wins, he will leave New York as a Grand Slam champion and World No. 1. 

“I think he really wanted to see how far he can reach. He was already starting to look at Rafa and that was his idol, so he really was into the tennis world and he wanted to be on that center court one day,” Christian said. “I cannot say that I remember too many times where I felt we pushed him too hard at all. I think it was almost, or it was always his will to do it in a way. I think I have been quite a calm parent, and also my wife.”