New Delhi: Carlos Alcaraz beat Jiri Lehecka comfortably and qualified for the semifinals of the US Open at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York on Wednesday.
The second-seeded Spaniard defeated Lehecka 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 in the quarterfinals.
The 22-year-old Spaniard is yet to drop a set at this year’s Grand Slam in Flushing Meadows, and he delivered a stunning performance against Czechia’s Lehecka, and didn’t even face a single break point. This is his first hard-court semifinal appearance at a major since winning his first Grand Slam title at the US Open in 2022.
The Spaniard is the first and only player on the men’s side who has not yet dropped a set. He’s the youngest man to qualify for the semifinals at the US Open without dropping a set since 21-year-old Jim Courier in 1991. He will either face Taylor Fritz or Novak Djokovic, who knocked him out of the Australian Open in the quarterfinals.
Lehecka got off to a disappointing start, as he faulted twice and lost his first service game. He then faced another break point in his next game and quickly fell behind 3-0. The Czech regained composure to hold and remained in the game, but Alcaraz raced away with the first set 6-4 in just 41 minutes.
Just like in the first set, the Czech was broken by Alcaraz in the opening game. Even though he fought hard on most points, the Spaniard stayed strong in rallies, often winning from tough positions. Alcaraz was leading the match 4-2 and broke Lehecka again after a double fault. He closed out the set and took full control of the game in just 1 hour and 17 minutes.
The third set was competitive, as Lehecka held his serve early for the first time in the match and saved a break point at 3-3 with a big serve. But Alcaraz responded by holding to love and then breaking with a brilliant counter-attack. He then served out the match to love, finishing the game in just 1 hour and 56 minutes with a sensational forehand winner.
Sabalenka advances to semifinals
Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka has qualified for the US Open semifinals after Marketa Vondrousova was forced to pull out from their quarterfinal match due to a knee injury, tournament organisers confirmed on Tuesday.
“I am sorry to announce that I have to withdraw from my quarterfinal match this evening due to a knee injury. I tried my best to take the court today, but during the warm-up I felt again my knee, and after consultation with the tournament doctor decided not to risk aggravating the injury,” Vondrousova said in a statement.
Sabalenka became only the third woman player in the professional era to receive a walkover into a Grand Slam semifinal, after Arantxa Sanchez Vicario (Australian Open 1992) and Fabiola Zuluaga (Australian Open 2004). She will now take on American Jessica Pegula in the semifinals on Thursday.
