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Carlos Alcaraz has set the tennis world abuzz and sent fans into a frenzy by reaching his first-ever Grand Slam final at the age of just 19. Also playing his first Major semifinal on Friday, the Spaniard beat home-favorite Frances Tiafoe 6-7(6), 6-3, 6-1, 6-7(5), 6-3 at the Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The thrilling four-hour, 19-minute encounter was loaded with surprises and the match could have ended much earlier had Tiafoe failed to save a match point in the tenth game of the fourth set.
With neither player able to break the other's serve in the first set, the American took a 1-0 lead via a tiebreak. However, Alcaraz stepped up and took the next two sets. The American then won his eighth tie-breaker of the tournament in the fourth set and forced a decider, where third seed Alcaraz fought hard once again to close out the match.
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While the young Spaniard got broken just thrice, he broke the 22nd seed's serve nine times. Alcaraz finished with 59 winners and 37 unforced errors, compared to Tiafoe's 51 winners and 52 unforced errors. After defeating Marin Cilic in the fourth round and Jannik Sinner in the quarterfinals, this was Carlos Alcaraz's third consecutive five-set match.
Fans around the world congratulated both the players for putting up a phenomenal show. The quality of tennis was so high that viewers were compelled to compare the two players with the greats of the game like Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Roger Federer.
"I was rooting for Tiafoe but I was gonna be happy with either result. So proud for how Alcaraz immediately put the 4th set loss away, put his head down, and went to work!!!! The kid is just amazing," a fan tweeted.
"What a match!! Tiafoe is incredible and clearly the future of US Men’s tennis. Bravo to him! But Alcaraz is the next Nadal — an Energizer Bunny who goes after every point and never breaks a sweat. At 19, with back-to-back 5-set matches! Just amazing," a user wrote.
"Last time I saw a guy play tennis whose talent leaped off the screen like Alcaraz, his name was Federer," another tweet read.
Here are a few more fan reactions:
"I take my hat off, got a lot of respect for Carlos Alcaraz" - Frances Tiafoe
In a post-match press conference after the semifinal, Frances Tiafoe showered praise on Carlos Alcaraz. The American labeled him as "one of the best players in the world."
"I think it's going to be very tough to play him," Tiafoe said. "He's one of the best players in the world, for sure. He hits the ball so hard. I never played a guy who moves as well as him, honestly. How he's able to extend points, incredible. He's a hell of a player. He's going to be a problem for a very long time. For him to be so young, being so poised in big moments, I take my hat off and I got a lot of respect for him."
Carlos Alcaraz will take on Norway's Casper Ruud in the title clash on Sunday.
