From the maximum annoyance to one of the best players in the world to the loss of not finishing a quarterfinal match of the US Open.
Carlos Alcaraz, the 18-year-old Spaniard who became one of the most important stories in the American Open after his victory over No. 3 Stefanos Tsitsipas in the third round, ran the range of emotions. He saw his wild journey come to a dramatic halt on Tuesday night when he had to retire in the second set of his quarter-final match against 12th-place Felix Auger-Aliassime in the Arthur Ashe Stadium due to injury to right adductor. After 6-3, 3-1, Alcaraz was unable to continue.
“It’s very difficult to finish a great tournament like this,” he said. “I mean, I had no choice.”
After playing long five-set matches in their previous two victories, Alcaraz, ranked 55th, felt adductive before the match. Initially, he was able to control the pain, but it got worse as the night went on.
“I did not feel well [keep] playing, so I had to retire, ”said Alcaraz, who became the youngest male player to reach the quarterfinals at Flushing in the Open era when he defeated German Peter Gojowczyk in five sets in the fourth round.
Before nightfall, Alcaraz was fighting. He dropped the first set and had trouble maintaining service. He broke twice, once every seven, and retired when he retired with nearly twice as many unforced errors (16) as the winners (nine).
After celebrating the service to get the 2-1, Alcaraz received the treatment of a coach. But just a few points later, he set aside.
“It’s been a great tournament for me,” he said. “I only have positive feelings [of] this tournament. … These matches gave me a lot of experience. So I think this tournament made me mature a lot. I’m very happy to play a first quarter final in a Grand Slam.
Auger-Aliassime, meanwhile, makes it to the semifinals of a Grand Slam for the first time in his young career. The 21-year-old Canadian has been on the rise, reaching the quarter-finals at Wimbledon and the fourth round of the Australian Open this year. He will now have a chance to reach the U.S. Open final when he meets Daniil Medvedev’s No. 2 on Friday.
“It’s an amazing milestone,” Auger-Aliassime said in his interview on the track. “It has been a fantastic tournament for me. Today is a strange ending. In the end, I already have it, I will have the opportunity to play on Friday against one of the best players in the world. It’s fantastic.”
In the early hours of the night, at Arthur Ashe Stadium, second-placed Aryna Sabalenka advanced to the women’s semifinals with a 6-1, 6-4 victory over Barbora Krejcikova, No. 8. Sabalenka will meet Leylah Fernandez , 18 years old.