US Open: Emma Raducanu set for Belinda Bencic quarter-final in New York
British teenager Emma Raducanu says her stunning run to the US Open quarter-finals is “surreal”, putting her success down to feeling “really, really happy”.
British teenager Emma Raducanu says her stunning run to the US Open quarter-finals is “surreal”, putting her success down to feeling “really, really happy”.
Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz made history at this US Open, becoming the tournament’s youngest men’s quarter-finalist in the Open Era. But the 18-year-old had to retire on Tuesday evening during the second set of his match against Felix Auger-Aliassime due to a right adductor injury.
“It’s really tough to end a great tournament like this. I had no choice to still play,” Alcaraz said. “First of all I have to take care of my body to stay healthy. It’s a long match and I didn’t feel good to still play, so I had to retire.”
Alcaraz battled hard against Auger-Aliassime, who moved into his first major semi-final. But coming into the match off back-to-back five-setters against Stefanos Tsitsipas and Peter Gojowczyk did not help the Spaniard’s cause.
“To play two matches [that went to] fifth sets in a row, play on a great level, in a great intensity [for] four hours, it was really tough for me,” Alcaraz said. “I am not used to playing these kind of matches in a row. I think it was really tough to recover [for] the next matches.”
One year ago, Alcaraz was outside the Top 200 of the FedEx ATP Rankings. The teen began this event at World No. 55, and his performance showed that he remains on the way up. Alcaraz stunned third seed Tsitsipas in a third-round thriller and proved he is a threat on the world’s biggest stages against the best players.
“These matches gave me a lot of experience, so I think this tournament made me mature a lot. I think I played great tennis for me,” Alcaraz said. “I’m really happy to play a first quarter-final in a Grand Slam. I think this tournament’s going to be a great experience for me for the next tournaments.”
Felix Auger-Aliassime has been under the spotlight since age 14 when he broke through on the ATP Challenger Tour. On Tuesday, the 21-year-old Canadian made his first major semi-final at the US Open.
Auger-Aliassime led fellow #NextGenATP star Carlos Alcaraz 6-3, 3-1 when the Spaniard retired due to an undisclosed injury. Felix is the first Canadian man to make the US Open semi-finals in tournament history (since 1881) and the youngest man to advance to the last four at Flushing Meadows since Juan Martin del Potro lifted the trophy in 2009.
“It’s an amazing milestone. It’s been a fantastic tournament for me. Of course it was a weird ending today. But in the end, I’m through,” Auger-Aliassime said in his on-court interview. “I’ll have a chance to play on Friday against one of the best players in the world right now to have a chance to be in my first Grand Slam final. It’s amazing, I’m happy I’m through and I’ll try to win the next one.”
The 12th seed will next play second seed and two-time major finalist Daniil Medvedev, who won their only previous ATP Head2Head meeting in a final-set tie-break in Toronto three years ago.
Alcaraz won back-to-back five-setters against Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas and German Peter Gojowczyk to make it this far. The teen was not as sharp as he was earlier in the tournament, making 16 unforced errors in 13 games. The booming groundstrokes that so often found their mark earlier in the fortnight fell into the net on Tuesday.
During the first changeover of the second set, an ATP physiotherapist visited Alcaraz and had a lengthy discussion with the Spaniard, but did not treat him. One game later, Alcaraz retired, surprising Auger-Aliassime.
“No, I didn’t [know anything was wrong] until he called the physio. I don’t know what happened, clearly, but it’s unfortunate. I didn’t see it coming. He’s such a good player. You guys were amazing again tonight,” Auger-Aliassime told the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd. “I thought we were putting on a good show.”
Daniil Medvedev could be on a collision course with World No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the US Open final. But after advancing to the semi-finals on Tuesday with a four-set win against Botic van de Zandschulp, the Russian explained why he is not worrying about the top seed.
“I don’t think about him, because as we saw, anybody can beat anybody. If he’s in the final, and if I’m there, I’m happy. He’s also happy, I guess,” Medvedev said. “I’m not going to root or cheer for somebody. I’m just going to enjoy the tennis and then prepare for the winner. It’s the same every match.”
If Medvedev plays Djokovic, he will be the last man standing between the Serbian star and the Grand Slam. But the second seed has long been considered one of the tournament favourites himself, especially with the absence of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, who did not compete in New York this year due to injury.
“I don’t feel the change of the energy [in the locker room], again, talking for myself. I always try to do my best,” Medvedev said in response to a question asking whether there is a different atmosphere in the locker room without the all-time greats. “I don’t care if Roger or Rafa are here. I want to win the tournament. It’s going to be tougher if they were here, and of course it would be tougher if they would be 30 years old. But I just want to do my best, so I don’t care if they are here or not.”
The 25-year-old is solely focussed on his next match. Medvedev will be favoured against 21-year-old Felix Auger-Aliassime, who will be appearing in his first major semi-final.
“Whoever wins is going to be on huge fire. You know they are much younger than even me. I’m not old,” Medvedev said, cracking a laugh. “But for them, it’s going to be [their] first semis of a Slam. Experience is not everything, because when I was in my first semis of a Slam, I won it. Doesn’t mean if you’re there for the first time you’re going to lose it.
“But I like that I have this experience. I know how it is. I’m not going to be tight. I know that. After, it’s a question about tennis. If I play good, it’s not going to be easy for my opponent. That’s the most important thing I’m going to try to do.”
This will be Medvedev’s third consecutive US Open semi-final. In his maiden major final in 2019, the Russian fell short against Rafael Nadal in a five-set thriller.
“Just to live this match was special,” Medvedev said, later adding, “I kind of understood, ‘Okay, well, I almost beat Rafa, being two sets down and a break, so I do belong here’.”
Photo Credit: Garrett Ellwood/USTA
No fans were in attendance at last year’s US Open because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but Medvedev still managed to make the last four, where he lost against eventual champion Dominic Thiem in straight sets.
“I was kind of not ready for this match. When I say ‘not ready’, of course I prepared [for] it well. It’s just that he played a really great level and I couldn’t find a solution, which I took a lesson [from] and I tried to do better in the Nitto ATP Finals,” Medvedev said. “Even if it was super tough, there was a lesson. There’s no Dominic here, no Rafa, so I’m just going to try to play my best and see which other lessons I can take.”
Medvedev is hoping to become the third Russian male singles champion at a Grand Slam this fortnight, joining Yevgeny Kafelnikov and Marat Safin. But for now, he is not getting ahead of himself. Instead, the second seed is enjoying the moment.
“Really happy to be in the semis again, third time in a row,” Medvedev said. “Couldn’t dream of it maybe four years ago, but now it’s three.”
Teenager Leylah Fernandez produces another fearless performance to beat Elina Svitolina and set up a US Open semi-final with Aryna Sabalenka.
Juan Martin del Potro has encountered many physical challenges throughout his career. In an interview with ESPN on Tuesday at the US Open, the Argentine made clear that he is still fighting.
“I love the challenge. It could be a tennis challenge or a different challenge in life. This is the toughest match of my career, because I cannot deal with these kind of injuries, this pain that I have now. But I’m still trying and trying,” Del Potro said. “This is the life. I believe in myself that this is going to be in the past for sure. But I think it’s also a message to the young kids, to all the players, to all the people around the world that they never have to give up following a dream and that’s what I’m doing with myself.”
Del Potro shared a hit on the practice courts with former World No. 1 John McEnroe. Although the 32-year-old is not up to full speed yet, he is thrilled to be progressing towards a return.
“I’m so happy to be back… this place is amazing to me. I had a great opportunity to play with John. One of the reasons that I came here was him,” Del Potro said. “I’m so happy to be back in my place, in my tournament. I’m excited to feel better and be back as a protagonist next year and be on court.”
The 2009 US Open champion said “the knee is much better”. Del Potro is still recovering, but spending time on court, and he is eager to start his comeback next season. Returning to Flushing Meadows, where Del Potro also made the final in 2018, has made the ‘Tower of Tandil’ even hungrier.
“The practice with you was the better part of the day,” Del Potro told McEnroe. “When I was watching the [Daniil] Medvedev match, it was a little bit frustrating to me watching these guys play and me [being] on the outside and not being the guy who is playing, fighting for the trophy.
“This is what happened to me at the moment, but I’m positive. I’m fighting to keep moving and hopefully next year I can be a protagonist again and play tennis.”
Del Potro has not competed since Queen’s Club in June 2019. During that time, he believes there has been a shift in how the game is played.
“I’m seeing the older players are playing an aggressive game, just serves and forehands and very short points. From my point of view, a guy who makes a smart game, a smart play, he has a chance to win a tournament,” Del Potro said. “That’s the reason Novak is still playing. I think he has the experience, he has the game and he’s very smart on court. But the other guys are very strong, and that gives a little message to me, because if I am healthy, I will be in that position again.”
It was fitting to have Del Potro back at a tournament in New York given his unforgettable accomplishments at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. No matter what happens in the future, nobody will ever be able to take those away from the Argentine fan favorite.
“This tournament makes me feel unbelievable on court, off court too. That’s why I decided to come,” Del Potro said. “I need the love from the crowd, from the people.”
Britain’s Joe Salisbury progresses through to the men’s doubles semi-finals at the US Open.
Fourth seeds Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury survived a major scare Tuesday at the US Open as they saved four match points before edging past Matthew Ebden and Max Purcell 7-6(7), 6-7(6), 7-6(10) to reach the semi-finals in New York for the second time.
The American-British team squandered a match point at 6/5 in the second-set tie-break, before saving four match points themselves at 4/6, 5/6, 7/8 and 9/10 in the final-set tie-break to advance after two hours and 58 minutes.
They will next play Steve Johnson and Sam Querrey after the Americans moved past sixth seeds Kevin Krawietz and Horia Tecau 6-2, 7-6(5) to reach their second semi-final as a team at Flushing Meadows, after enjoying a run to the last four in 2015.
Eighth seeds John Peers and Filip Polasek also advanced, upsetting 2015 champions Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut 6-2, 6-3.
The Australian-Slovakian tandem are competing together for the fourth time, after first teaming in Washington at the start of the North American hard-court swing. Peers and Polasek did not face a break point against the third seeds, hitting 10 aces to advance.
They will meet seventh seeds Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares, upset second seeds Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-4.
As Alexander Zverev’s serve goes, so does his tennis, and strong serving over the past two months has helped the German to the best stretch of form in his career.
“My serve is kind of the key to my game. When it’s working, I’m playing great. When it’s not, I’m losing matches like I did at Wimbledon,” Zverev said. “I think it’s no secret that my serve is probably the most important shot in my game, and I’m happy with how it’s working. I hope I continue to get better throughout the next few matches and everything else.
“The matches are not going to get easier and I will need that to be my weapon.”
Could the 24-year-old’s serve help him win his first major title at the US Open? So far, so good.
No player remaining in the draw has won a higher percentage of service games than Zverev. The fourth seed has claimed 96 per cent of his service games (54/56) through four matches, dropping serve just twice.
2021 US Open Service Stats – Alexander Zverev
| Stat | Alexander Zverev |
| 1st-Serve Pts Won | 82% (179/217) |
| 2nd-Serve Pts Won | 60% (53/89) |
| Break Pts Saved | 75% (6/8) |
| Service Gmaes Won | 96% (54/56) |
Only two players in the field of 128 lost their serve less than twice during their stay in New York and both players, Jiri Vesely and Evgeny Donskoy, lost in the first round. Zverev also ranks second among remaining players in first-serve points won (behind Lloyd Harris) and second in second-serve points won (behind Carlos Alcaraz).
The German’s toughest test yet came in the fourth round against Jannik Sinner. But Zverev triumphed in straight sets against the 13th seed, saving six of the seven break point he faced. Glaringly, 26 per cent of his second serves went unreturned compared to 13 per cent for Sinner.
“It’s not easy playing against him. [He] has confidence. He serves well,” Sinner said. “When someone is serving well, you can try a little bit [different things] in the return game.”
Zverev’s last loss came against Felix Auger-Aliassime at Wimbledon. In that match, he hit 20 double faults and won just 34 per cent of his second-serve points.
“In Tokyo, all of a sudden it clicked, because in Wimbledon I had a very bad serving match against Felix. That was the reason I lost,” Zverev said. “Since Tokyo, it’s been a lot better, but it can still be a lot better, as well.”
That is a scary thought for the remainder of the field, as Zverev has won 15 consecutive matches. During that stretch, the German has dropped just three sets.
Last year at Flushing Meadows, Zverev advanced to his first major final and came within two points of the trophy. But that run was almost in spite of his serve. In four of his seven matches, he hit at least 10 double faults, including 15 in the final against Dominic Thiem. En route to the quarter-finals, he faced 25 break points.
In his first four matches combined this year, he has hit 10 double faults and faced just eight break points.
“The serve is the shot I spend the most time on. It’s the shot I practise the most as well,” Zverev said. “I am someone that needs that repetition, and I feel like the hard work maybe [is starting to come] along.”
Zverev will hope that continues in the quarter-finals against Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini.
Daniil Medvedev ends qualifier Botic van de Zandschulp’s battling run to reach the US Open semi-finals and keep his bid for a maiden Grand Slam trophy alive.
