Carlos Alcaraz lost the semi-final of the US Open against Daniil Medvedev in a thrilling contest at the Arthur Ashe Stadium. The Spaniard was leading Medvedev 2-1 in head-to-head prior to the game and went in as the favorite. Despite having won their last two encounters, including one on a hard court, Alcaraz couldn’t replicate his previous success and fell to Medvedev in a hard-fought battle.
Alcaraz used the slice shot to great effect in his previous matches against Medvedev but admitted that he couldn’t use it to great effect in the semi-final. Alcaraz was full of praise for the Russian and his game plan that the Spaniard couldn’t deal with.
Carlos Alcaraz falls to Daniil Medvedev despite previous success
Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev at the Arthur Ashe was on the most anticipated matches at the US Open. The defending champion faced the Russian to fight for a place in the final against Novak Djokovic. Medvedev was on top of the game and completely outplayed Alcaraz in the first two sets.
Alcaraz got back in match after winning the third set but Medvedev won the fourth to seal a place in the final. In the previous matches against Medvedev, Alcaraz used to slice shot to great effect but couldn’t do the same in the semi-final.
In the post match conference, Alcaraz was asked about the difference between facing Medvedev in the last two games and the semi-final and the Spaniard mentioned it was due to the Russians game plan. Alcaraz admitted he couldn’t use his slice to great effect as Medvedev countered it with powerful forehands.
“He played with more speed in his shots. I think the forehand running, it was great today. Probably with the slice in the previous matches, you know, help me a lot to find my own game, but today I couldn’t.”
Alcaraz was quick to admit that he was left short on the day and Medvedev deserved to win the match. The Spaniard said he will learn from his loss for his future tournaments.
Daniil Medvedev loves playing at the US Open
Daniil Medvedev enjoys a love-hate relationship with the New York crowd but his record at the Flushing Meadows is nothing short of phenomenal. The Russian won the championship in 2021 and made the final in 2019. This was Medvedev’s third semi final in four years.
Speaking to the press after the game, the 26-year-old mentioned that he made some plans to his game to counter Alcaraz’s game. The world number three confessed about his love of playing at the US Open and hinted that the surface suits his game.
“Yeah, the thing is US Open, and I don’t really know the reason, I tend to play aggressive, fast, I serve well. Probably the speed of the court that helps me. Like, Indian Wells, I mean, that I did the final was amazing, because I basically can’t hit the ball there. It has nothing to do, let’s call it, with my forehand and so I beat some good guys there, some good matches, but as soon as I got someone like Carlos with his style of play, it was kind of over for me.”
Daniil Medvedev will be happy with his performance against Carlos Alcaraz and relieved to break his losing streak against the Spaniard. Medvedev will be looking forward to an epic showdown with Novak Djokovic in the final.
