After his Round of 16 win, Carlos Alcaraz talked about his potential quarter-final opponents in the 2023 US Open. He knew he had to face either Jannik Sinner or Alexander Zverev and seemed to prefer the former. Everyone wants to see that fixture, said the Spaniard in his press conference before the Sinner-Zverev RO16 match.
Zverev, however, put paid to any hopes of that happening. He won an incredible five-setter that went on well past midnight. Sinner’s elimination means Alcaraz will not get his wish of playing the Italian in a rematch of last year’s quarter-final.
Carlos Alcaraz leaned towards facing Jannik Sinner
Alcaraz brushed away unseeded Italian Matteo Arnaldi in straight sets. His clash was the second of the day in the Arthur Ashe Stadium. The Sinner-Zverev clash was scheduled to be the fourth and final match of the day in the iconic arena. Hence during the post-match press conference, Alcaraz did not know who his quarter-final opponent would be of the two.
Asked about his thoughts on his potential competitors, Alcaraz seemed to prefer squaring off against Sinner. He said everyone wanted a rematch of their quarter-final in the 2022 US Open when the draw was announced. The Spaniard said the World No.6 would be a tough opponent, mentioning that their head-to-head is ‘really close’. He said he loves playing against Sinner because they bring out their best against each other.
“Well, I think everybody wants that match. I think when the draw came out, everybody wants that potential quarterfinal, Jannik against me, because of the matches against him last year. It was one of the best matches that I’ve played in my career.
“Against him is going to be a really tough one. The head-to-head is really, really close against him. I think we push to the limits each other when we face each other. We increase our level to the top. I love playing against him. It is a great battle.”
Alcaraz and Sinner played out a quarter-final for the ages last year. The eventual champion won 6-3, 6-7(7), 6-7(0), 7-5, 6-3, wrapping it up 2:50 a.m. This was the record for the latest-ever finish to a US Open match. Overall, the fixture lasted five hours and 15 minutes—the second-longest US Open match ever. Naturally, everyone was hoping for a similarly epic rematch this year, but Zverev had other plans.
Alexander Zverev to face Alcaraz
Zverev emerged victorious after a see-saw battle against Sinner that finished after 1:30 a.m. local time. The German won 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 to set up a meeting with Alcaraz for a place in the semi-final. In his press conference, the Spaniard had acknowledged Zverev as a great opponent, saying he has been getting back to his best this year.
Once ranked World No.2, Zverev’s ranking fell after he missed out on months of action following a horrific ankle injury at the 2022 French Open. His last victory before the injury was over Alcaraz. He has been on a comeback trail this year. The German leads World No.1 Alcaraz 3-2 in their head-to-head. However, the Spaniard soundly beat Zverev when they faced off last time in the Madrid Open. Alcaraz is a favorite to defend his crown, but Zverev is fired up and raring to spoil his party.
