US Open: Carlos Alcaraz erases Tiafoe in four hours of combat and will play his first Grand Slam final

New York was a cauldron. A crowded Arthur Ashe had 20,000 people forming opposing forces. Half went to local hero Frances Tiafoe (26th) and the rest to the next big star on the circuit: Carlos Alcaraz (4th). After four hours and 19 minutes those betting on Spanish were the ones shouting and clapping. The 19-year-old beaten by 6-7(6), 6-3, 6-1, 6-7(5) and 6-3 the Maryland native to secure his first Grand Slam final. He will do it against Casper Ruud (7th) and they will not only define the next US Open champion, but also who will be world number one from Monday.

An electrifying match, worthy of the night days of the US Open. It started with a first set where Tiafoe showed why he beat Nadal and Rublev. He played to the limit and managed to take the partial thanks to a tie-break, where with his service he generated the necessary advantage. It was a show of power from the North American, who gave him the first set, but took a lot of gas from him.

He won this battle, but lost the following ones. And it is that after this partial at the limit, his speed and power dropped, helping the return of Alcaraz. There the Spaniard managed to dominate again, leaving Tiafoe’s activation attempts without a chance, who could not follow directly. They were 6-3 and 6-1 in 1 hour and 25 minutes.

But in the fourth, when everyone believed the encounter was defined by the 19-year-old boy, the American woke up. Seeing himself so close to the abyss made him play bravely. I didn’t want the dream week to end on the verge of the final and from 0 to 2, he tied the set and plant the drama on the pitch.

The tension was present throughout the development of the set, IIncluding a match point for the Spaniard at 5-4 that Tiafoe went out with a drop at the limit of the mesh. Parity even brought them to a tie-break. North America’s ninth in the tournament. The ninth, he won.

It was a moment of climax, of boiling. But Alcaraz was able to extinguish the fire immediately. He broke from the start in the first game of the set and thus began the partial pilgrimage with a definitive advantage. Even the break he suffered at 2-1 did not destabilize him , because after the punishment, he returned the gesture and took over the score. He thus reaped a victory which materialized (after four match points) with the final 6-3. He screamed, threw himself on the ground and celebrated, but still thinking the real game was next.

In this way the US Open final will pit Carlos Alcaraz (4th) against Casper Ruud (7th) , two young players (19 and 23) who will seek their first Grand Slam title. But Sunday’s game will be more than just a matchup for a big game. This will also determine who will be the next world number one, as the two arrive at the instance just 100 points apart in the live rankings. Whoever lifts the trophy on Sunday afternoon will also command world tennis. Spectacle and drama guaranteed.