Carlos Alcaraz, defending champion, qualified for the quarter-finals of the US Open by beating Italian Matteo Arnaldi (6-3, 6-3, 6-4) on Monday September 4. He could meet Jannik Sinner for a rematch of last year’s clash.
Sinner, who lost last year after a legendary quarter in five sets, has yet to qualify: he plays in the evening against Alexander Zverev (12?), finalist in 2020. “Sacha [Zverev] plays well and Jannik too. So I will obviously watch their match but I already know that whoever my opponent is in the quarters, it will be complicated,” Alcaraz said.
Complicated is not the appropriate qualifier for his match against the Italian, 61st in the world. In search of a third Grand Slam title, the Spaniard did not have to defend a single break point in the first two sets. But in the third, Arnaldi scored a white break to lead 2-1.
It was enough to remind Alcaraz that a place in the quarterfinals was at stake: the world number 1, who already knows that he will return this place to Novak Djokovic at the end of the tournament whatever is now the results, immediately picked up and took the service of the Italian in the last game of the match. The only sign of concern, he played with a huge bandage on his left thigh. But in fact, the Spaniard did not seem to really suffer.
For his part, Andrey Rublev (8?) had a few tantrums before qualifying for his fourth quarter-final of the US Open by dismissing the Briton Jack Draper (123?) 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 , 6-4. He could find for a place in the semi-finals his compatriot Daniil Medvedev (3?), winner in 2021, or the Australian Alex De Minaur (13?).
Ons Jabeur sick since the start of the tournament
In the women’s draw, the day was marked by the elimination of the Tunisian Ons Jabeur (6?), finalist last year, by the Chinese Qinwen Zheng (23?) – 6-2, 6-4. Sick since the start of the tournament, the 29-year-old Tunisian had suffered to pass the first three rounds, but this time she really lacked strength against an opponent who was too solid.
The Chinese (20) will play her first Grand Slam quarter-final, against the Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka (2?) or the Russian Daria Kasatkina (14?) who face each other in the evening. Sabalenka is already assured of a great reward: she will be world number 1 at the end of the tournament after the elimination of Iga Swiatek on Sunday in the round of 16.
Madison Keys and Marketa Vondrousova in quarters
The duel of Americans was won by Madison Keys (17?), finalist in 2017, at the expense of Jessica Pegula (3?). Keys, who hadn’t made it past the round of 16 at Flushing Meadows since her half in 2018, edged Pegula 6-1, 6-3 in 1:01 and will face Czech Marketa Vondrousova (9?) for a place in the last four. At 28, she remains in a quarter-final this season at Wimbledon. She had reached the semis at the Australian Open in 2022.
For her part, Vondrousova, surprise winner of Wimbledon in July but who had never passed the eighth at the US Open (reached in 2018) overthrew the American Peyton Stearns (59?) – 6-7 (3/7) , 6-3, 6-2. “She is very powerful and it was a very difficult match,” commented Vondrousova, who did not expect to reach the quarterfinals in New York because “after Wimbledon the pressure was immense”.
The 24-year-old Czech, finalist at Roland-Garros in 2019 but less comfortable on fast surfaces, created a surprise this summer by winning her first Grand Slam title at Wimbledon. She has since added a tattoo to her already well-decorated left arm: 150723, the date of the final won on the London turf.
