US Open 2021: Carlos Alcaraz vs Peter Gojowczyk preview, head-to-head & prediction

Match details

Fixture: Carlos Alcaraz vs (Q) Peter Gojowczyk

Date: 5 September 2021

Tournament: US Open 2021

Round: Fourth round (Round of 32)

Venue: New York, United States

Category: Grand Slam

Surface: Outdoor hardcourt

Prize money: $40,560,000

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel & ESPN/ESPN 2 | UK - Amazon Prime Video | India - Star Sports / Disney+ Hotstar VIP

Carlos Alcaraz vs Peter Gojowczyk preview

Spanish teen phenom Carlos Alcaraz takes on Germany's Peter Gojowczyk in the Round of 16 on Sunday, in the hope of making his first ever Slam quarterfinal.

Alcaraz has had a scintillating campaign at Flushing Meadows this year, to say the least. The unseeded 18-year-old upset 26th seed Cameron Norrie in his opener, before beating France's Arthur Rinderknech in four tough sets. Alcaraz's best performance, however, came during the third round against World No. 3 Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Alcaraz got off to an explosive start in the match on Friday, breaking Tsitsipas three times to clinch the opening set 6-3. Tsitsipas then hit back by winning the next set 6-4, and looked on course to win the match in four sets when he held three set points at 5-2 in the third set.

Alcaraz, however, refused to let up, and played some stunning tennis under pressure before nabbing the third set in a tiebreaker. Although the 18-year-old got bagelled in the fourth set, he was able to outlast his older opponent in a deciding set that lasted over an hour, for a 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(2), 0-6, 7-6(5) victory.

With his win, Alcaraz became the youngest male player to defeat a top 3 opponent at the US Open since the ATP rankings were first introduced in 1973.

Peter Gojowczyk has been in some form during this year's US Open

Peter Gojowczyk, meanwhile, is a journeyman well-known for his ball-bashing style of play among Challenger enthusiasts. The German has also had a respectable campaign on the main circuit in 2021, accumulating a 7-6 win-loss record.

It is worth noting that Gojowczyk, currently ranked No. 141 in the world, has produced his career's best Major result at the US Open this week. Having come through the qualifying draw, Gojowczyk overcame higher-ranked opponents Ugo Humbert and Dusan Lajovic before beating Henri Laaksonen on Friday for a place in the second week.

Carlos Alcaraz vs Peter Gojowczyk head-to-head

The fourth-round match in New York will be the first-ever career meeting between Carlos Alcaraz and Peter Gojowczyk, so their head-to-head currently stands at 0-0.

Carlos Alcaraz vs Peter Gojowczyk prediction

Carlos Alcaraz has taken giant strides since making his tour debut last year. The Spaniard has an incredibly well-rounded baseline game that belies his age, and he has also shown the ability to switch from defense to offense in the blink of an eye.

Alcaraz boats of one of the best two-handed backhands in the game already, which he used to great effect during his third-round win over Tsitsipas. But it is his forehand that is arguably his most prized asset; the shot is capable of generating tremendous power and depth even from defensive positions.

Carlos Alcaraz hits a forehand during his third-round match against Stefanos Tsitsipas

Peter Gojowczyk has plenty of power himself, but he doesn't have quite the same control on his groundstrokes as his fourth-round opponent. The German might be better off avoiding longer rallies, since he struggles to maintain his consistency when made to hit the same shot over and over again.

Gojowczyk's fortunes will largely depend on whether he can keep his shots under control, and also whether he gets enough short balls to take advantage of. If Alcaraz keeps his composure and plays in the same manner that he did against Tsitsipas, he should be able to get over the line.

Prediction: Carlos Alcaraz to win in four sets.