New York, Sep 3 (AP) – Carlos Alcaraz dazzled fans with his performance at the U.S. Open, exciting the crowd and effortlessly moving past Jiri Lehecka to secure a spot in the semifinals. The second-seeded Spaniard triumphed over Lehecka 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 on Tuesday at Arthur Ashe Stadium, thrilling fans with his spectacular plays, and encouraging applause by gesturing for more cheers. Marking his first major hard-court semifinal appearance since claiming his inaugural Grand Slam title at the U.S. Open in 2023, Alcaraz certainly made an impression.
"I kind of met the Grand Slam version of Carlos,” Lehecka admitted. “He just showed that he is one of the contenders, for sure. Everyone knew that, and he proved that.” At just 22 years of age, Alcaraz finds himself in a major semifinal for the ninth time, trailing only Rafael Nadal's record of ten before the age of 23.
Next on Alcaraz’s path is the formidable Novak Djokovic, a 24-time Grand Slam champion, who previously ousted him at the Australian Open quarterfinals earlier this year and defeated him in the final at the Paris Olympics the previous year. Djokovic overcame Taylor Fritz with scores of 6-3, 7-5, 3-6, 6-4 in the night session.
Should Alcaraz clinch another U.S. Open victory, he would surpass Jannik Sinner at the top of the rankings—Sinner being the opponent who defeated him in the Wimbledon final and whom Alcaraz defeated in the French Open final this year.
“It's really difficult not to think about it,” Alcaraz reflected on possibly reaching the No. 1 spot. “Every time that I step on the court, I am trying not to think about it. If I think about the No. 1 spot too much, I think I'm going to put pressure on myself and I just don't want to do that. I just want to step on the court, try to do my things, try to follow my goals in the match, and try to enjoy as much as I can. The No. 1 is there, but I'm trying not to think so much about it.”
Taking a brief respite before facing Djokovic, Alcaraz plans a round of golf with fellow Spaniard and 2017 Masters champion, Sergio Garcia. “He has to give me at least between 10 and 15 shots,” Alcaraz joked. “It's going to be great. I'm not that good, Sergio, come on.”
Jessica Pegula Advances Again in US Open – On the women's front, Jessica Pegula stormed into the semifinals of the U.S. Open, repeating her success from last year. Pegula conquered Barbora Krejcikova with a 6-3, 6-3 victory, reaching the semifinal stage at a Grand Slam for just the second time in her career.
Despite falling short in her first 22 major main draw appearances, Pegula reached the finals at Flushing Meadows last year, where Aryna Sabalenka outperformed her. Pegula will once again face Sabalenka in the semis on Thursday, after Sabalenka advanced due to Marketa Vondrousova’s withdrawal from injury.
“My biggest accomplishment last year was just getting past the quarterfinals,” Pegula revealed. “Now I can say I've done it twice.” With outstanding consistency this year, Pegula became the first woman to make consecutive U.S. Open semifinals without dropping a set since Serena Williams from 2011-14.
Ranked fourth at the U.S. Open, Pegula aims to seize her first Grand Slam title. Alongside No. 8-seeded Amanda Anisimova, she is one of only two American women remaining in the singles draw. Pegula skillfully navigated past Krejcikova, securing her win in less than 90 minutes. “She had a couple really good returns when I was serving at 4-1," Pegula noted, celebrating her triumph. “We all saw what she did against Taylor, so I was happy that we're done.”
Additional Events at the US Open on Tuesday – Venus Williams paired with Leylah Fernandez suffered a defeat against top seeds Taylor Townsend and Katerina Siniakova, ending Williams' first Grand Slam return in two years with a 6-1, 6-2 result in women's doubles.
Upcoming Highlights for Wednesday at the US Open – Felix Auger-Aliassime from Canada will face off against Alex de Minaur from Australia as Wednesday's action begins at Arthur Ashe Stadium. This will be followed by a clash between Amanda Anisimova and second seed Iga Swiatek. The night session will kick-start with Naomi Osaka, who recently triumphed over Coco Gauff, taking on Karolina Muchova. Finally, Jannik Sinner, the men's No. 1 seed, will go head-to-head with fellow Italian Lorenzo Musetti. (AP) AM AM AM
(Only the headline of this report may have been reworked by Editorji; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
