By Howard Fendrich
New York: Carlos Alcaraz and Frances Tiafoe engaged in a high-level, high-energy spectacle of a back-and-forth semifinal at the US Open – no point over when it seemed to be, no ball out of reach, no angle too audacious.
One sequence was so stuffed with “What?! How?!” moments by both men that Arthur Ashe Stadium spectators were on their feet before it was over and remained there, clapping and carousing, through a replay on the video screens.
Ultimately, enough of the winners went Alcaraz’s way, and too many of the mistakes came from Tiafoe’s racquet. And so it was Alcaraz who surged into his first grand slam final – and, in the process, gave himself a chance to become No.1 at age 19 – by ending Tiafoe’s run at Flushing Meadows with a 6-7 (6-8), 6-3, 6-1, 6-7 (5-7), 6-3 victory on Saturday (AEST).
“It’s amazing to be able to fight for big things,” Alcaraz said.
“You have give everything on court. Frances gave everything on court.”
Alcaraz appeared to seize control by grabbing nine of 10 games in one stretch and could have ended the evening when he held a match point in the fourth set. But Tiafoe, who is ranked 26th, saved it and soon was yelling, with some colourful language mixed in for emphasis, “I’m putting my heart on the line!” Soon after that, Tiafoe was forcing a fifth set by improving to a US Open-record 8-0 in tie-breakers.
Carlos Alcaraz is in the US Open final.Credit:Getty Images
Still, Alcaraz showed no signs of fatigue despite playing a third five-setter in a row – including a five-hour, 15-minute quarter-final win that ended at 2.50am, the latest finish in tournament history — and was better when he needed to be, taking four of the last five games.
Now No. 3 Alcaraz will face No. 7 Casper Ruud for the championship on Monday (AEST) with so much on the line: The winner will become a major champion for the first time and lead the rankings next week.
“Too good from Carlos tonight,” Tiafoe said. “I gave everything I had.”
Alcaraz and Tiafoe were both making their major semifinal debuts and offered an exceptionally entertaining performance.
Tiafoe, a 24-year-old from Maryland who eliminated 22-time grand slam champion Rafael Nadal in the fourth round, played to a sellout crowd of more than 23,000 that included former first lady Michelle Obama, often asking for — and receiving — more noise. No surprise, given he was the first American man in the semi-finals at Flushing Meadows in 16 years.
“I feel I let you goys down,” Tiafoe said during an unusual chance for a match’s loser to address the crowd in an on-court interview. “This one hurts. This one really, really hurts.”
Alcaraz, who’s from Spain, is popular around the world, widely recognised as a future star of the sport, and he is now the youngest US Open men’s finalist from any country since Pete Sampras won the trophy at 19 in 1990.
Afterward, Alcaraz spoke first in English, then in Spanish, telling his supporters that they helped him fight for “every point, every ball” and tapped his chest as he said this was “for my family, for my team, for me, for all of you.”
During the day’s first semi-final, which featured a 55-shot point to end the first set, folks called out the winner’s last name — “Ruuuuud!” — and it sounded as if they were booing, rather than saluting. Ruud won that lengthy rally and built an early lead and route to beating Karen Khachanov 7-6 (5), 6-2, 5-7, 6-2.
Casper Ruud will play Alcaraz in the men’s final.Credit:Getty Images
“Towards the end,” Ruud, a 23-year-old from Norway, said about the longest point of this US Open, “the pulse was getting very high and the legs were almost shaking.”
He came into this year with a record of just 14-13 in grand slam matches, then needed to sit out the Australian Open in January after twisting his ankle in practice.
Since then? He’s 13-2 at the majors in 2022. That includes finishing as the runner-up to Nadal at the French Open in June.
“After Roland Garros, I was, of course, extremely happy,” Ruud said, “but also humble enough to think that could be my only final of my career.”
Didn’t take long to get to his second. And now either his six-place jump will represent the biggest move ever to No.1 or Alcaraz will become the youngest man to get to the ATP’s top spot since the computerised rankings began in 1973.
Meanwhile, Australian Storm Sanders has been thwarted in her bid to win two US Open doubles titles in the same weekend after she and American partner Caroline Dolehide saw a handsome semi-final lead evaporate.
Having already reached the mixed final with fellow Australian John Peers, Queensland left-hander Sanders had high hopes of making it a double doubles success story by getting into the women’s showdown too.
All looked to be going swimmingly in her semi-final as Sanders and Dolehide, the No.12 seeds, blitzed the unseeded US duo of Caty McNally and Taylor Townsend to win eight of the first nine games.
But seemingly determined not to be beaten by Sanders in a last-four contest twice in two days following her mixed doubles loss, 20-year-old McNally roared back with the inspired Townsend to win 1-6, 6-3, 6-3.
Fourth seeds Sanders and Peers, the fifth different all-Australian combo to make a grand slam final this year, will face Belgian Kirsten Flipkens and Frenchman Edouard Roger-Vasselin in the mixed showdown.
AP, AAP
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