New York, Sep 1 (AP) Carlos Alcaraz delivered a dazzling performance at the U.S. Open with a behind-the-back shot securing a point in his 7-6 (3), 6-3, 6-4 triumph over Arthur Rinderknech on Sunday. This milestone victory made the Spaniard the youngest man in the Open era to reach 13 Grand Slam quarterfinals.
“Sometimes, I practice it. I'm not going to lie,” said No. 2-seeded Alcaraz about the flashy move in the first set. “But I mean, I don't practice it, like, too many times. Just in practice, if the opportunity is there, I will try. In the match, it's kind of the same. If I have the opportunity, why not?” At 22 years and 3 months, Alcaraz surpasses Boris Becker, who reached his 13th major quarterfinal at about 22 years, 9 months.
In his upcoming match on Tuesday, Alcaraz will face No. 20 Jiri Lehecka, a 23-year-old from the Czech Republic, who entered his second Slam quarterfinal by defeating Adrian Mannarino 7-6 (4), 6-4, 2-6, 6-2.
During Alcaraz's match against Rinderknech, a talented French player with a Texas A&M background, he clinched a love hold to make it 2-all with a spectacular play. As he shifted right at midcourt, Rinderknech seemed to have Alcaraz on the back foot, but Alcaraz adeptly maneuvered his racket to send the ball up the line.
Rinderknech, seemingly surprised, returned a volley into the net, prompting Alcaraz to beam at his coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, in the stands and gesture to acknowledge the crowd's enthusiasm.
“The people like it; I like playing tennis like this,” Alcaraz remarked. “My style of tennis fits pretty well to the energy here.” Alcaraz sealed the opening set via tiebreaker and excelled in the second set with a no-look passing winner. Catching Rinderknech off guard, Alcaraz dashed for a short ball before executing a forehand that diverged from his apparent glance, resulting in a dazzling cross-court shot.
As the match culminated, Rinderknech acknowledged Alcaraz's extraordinary shots with a smile, while Alcaraz maintained his dominant service record by winning 54 of 55 games this year at Flushing Meadows. Alcaraz, the defending champion, clinched his inaugural Grand Slam on these courts in 2022.
This victory marks Alcaraz's fourth major quarterfinal of 2025, his first unbroken quarterfinal streak in one season. After his quarterfinal exit to Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open, he claimed victory at the French Open and reached the Wimbledon finals in July but fell to No. 1 Jannik Sinner.
Conversely, Arthur Rinderknech made his debut in a major fourth round. (AP)
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