On a night when Carlos Alcaraz was below his imperious best, the all-conquering Spanish star was good enough in the most important moments to brush aside Alexander Zverev in straight sets and inch closer to a rare US Open repeat.
Alcaraz hit more unforced errors than winners behind a first-serve percentage that hovered around 50% for most of Wednesday night’s eagerly awaited quarter-final with the former world No 2. But the 20-year-old converted four of four break points while saving all five that he faced to polish off the 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 victory in a coolly efficient two – and – a – half hours. His reward? A Friday night showdown with third-seeded Daniil Medvedev in a delicious semi-final matchup of the past two US Open champions.
