A surprising men’s semifinal lineup will take center stage at the US Open on Friday. Coming off a marathon match against Jannik Sinner on Wednesday, Carlos Alcaraz will be back in action when he faces Frances Tiafoe. That showdown is preceded by a matchup featuring Casper Ruud and Karen Khachanov.
(3) Carlos Alcaraz vs. (22) Frances Tiafoe
Is Alcaraz on his second life in New York? It might even be more than that. Alcaraz is coming off back-to-back five-setters–both ending after 2:00 am–as he heads into the semifinals of the U.S. Open on Friday night. After holding off Marin Cilic in a fourth-round thriller, the 19-year-old saved one match point and outlasted Jannik Sinner 6-3, 6-7(7), 6-7(0), 7-5, 6-3 on Wednesday. It lasted five hours and 15 minutes and was surely one of the best matches in tournament history.
Alcaraz will have to get right back in gear less than 48 hours later to meet Tiafoe for the second time. Their only previous encounter came last spring on the red clay of Barcelona, where Tiafoe prevailed 6-4, 7-6(2). The American would be a big underdog now given his opponent’s rise to the top of the game, but the fact that Alcaraz has played two straight fiver-setters well into the morning may even the playing field. In fact, it probably even tips the scales in Tiafoe’s favor. Plus the No. 22 seed is in awesome form. He upset Rafael Nadal in the fourth round and then ousted Andrey Rublev in straight sets. With the crowd firmly behind him, Tiafoe has a good chance to keep his run going into the final.
Pick: Tiafoe in 4
(27) Karen Khachanov vs. (5) Casper Ruud
Like Alcaraz, Ruud also has a chance to leave New York as the No. 1 player in the world. If either one of them advances to the final and the other loses on Friday, it will be decided. If they both reach the title match, that showdown would not only be for the U.S. Open title but also for the top ranking. If they both lose in the semis, Rafael Nadal will overtake Daniil Medvedev for No. 1.
Ruud should be able to take care of his own business. The Norwegian is already a slam finalist, having finished runner-up to Nadal at the French Open this spring. He has improved dramatically on hard courts, too, so another appearance–even away from clay–would not come as much of a surprise. Ruud reached the Miami final (lost to Alcaraz) and more recently made it to the semis in Montreal. The world No. 7 is 1-0 lifetime against Khachanov, having prevailed in three sets at the 2020 Rome Masters. Sure, that was on Ruud’s preferred clay-court surface–but there is no reason why he can’t get the best of Khachanov again even amidst faster conditions.
Pick: Ruud in 5
Hey hey hey Nny!..hehe..missed u too Nny!…let’s hug!!😀
Yeah!…i can c tenngrander’s complained bout the new site but for me it’s a blessing Nny!..i can’t post my comments for months on old site..but just take a few 2nd yesterday to post on a new one!!….YEEEHAAAA for that!!
Ohh…bout tennis bracket…the last time i kicked everyone’s a$$ was in Roland Garros Nny!…i picked our Rafa that time!…since then,they’re all kick mine!😆
Btw….how r u over there milady??Hope everythings is ok with u?😘
Mira Andi,
I had some health problems back in April when I was in the hospital. But I am doing very well now.
So you picked Rafa to win RG! Good choice!
Elizabeth said she was having trouble getting on the site. I hope the kinks have been worked out now. She is still a great advocate for the women’s game. I watched a lot of women’s matches and loved what I saw! I was hoping that Jabeur would win. Maybe next time.
You need to come around more often!
❤️
Good to hear u’re ok now Nny!..Be strong for Rafa ok?He needs u!!
I love Ons & Iga too!…both manner & tennis styles!…they both r awesome champions!…can’t wait to c them both at AO next year!
Alcaraz still has a long way to go before he could dominate (and I think he will dominate in the future but not in the near future though).
He struggled to beat his opponents in this USO, and there’s no Djoko and Rafa was subpar. He need not beat Meddy or Tsitsipas along the way as they underperformed too.
Having said all these, it’s his destiny that he would win here and became number one. I felt happy for Ferrero as his coach, just like I was happy for Massu when Thiem won his USO in 2020. The only regret for Thiem was that he couldn’t reach number one in the world back then.
PS. As a coach, what’s more satisfying than to see your charge winning a slam under your tutelage?
I think the changing of the guard is now in full swing. At the rate Alcaraz improved this year, he will be favorite to win the AO because his consistency is improving and as other’s have stated, he’s winning regardless of the circumstances.
So, as long as he takes care himself and realises he’s not invincible, he will be the one to beat going forward.
The behind the back shot he did moving in the opposite direction was the best shot of the tournament, bar none.