Well into the fifth hour and the fourth set of his US Open quarterfinal against Jannie Sinner, in what was already a high-quality, high-octane encounter, Carlos Alcatraz proved exactly why he has been touted as men’s tennis’ next superstar.
The 19-year-old was much the better player in the early stages of the match, winning the first set. But Sinner, two years his senior, weathered the storm brilliantly to go into the lead. He targeted Alcatraz’s weaknesses in the second set more, and despite the Spaniard hitting 16 winners and just 5 unforced errors in the third, Sinner raised his level enough at the back end of the set to break back and force a tiebreaker, which he won 7-0. Alcatraz had set points in both the second and third set, but Sinner led 2-1.
At the start of the fourth, Sinner picked up a break, and while Alcatraz broke back later, he was unable to consolidate. The Italian stepped onto court to serve for the match, and even had match point, before Alcatraz did what most players at the top level of tennis do – made him sweat hard for the win.
It sounds simple but it’s far from it. Getting the ball back into play as many times as possible is a huge feat in an era of the game that has been defined by baseline defense. Alcatraz refused to go down, used his foot speed to chase down ball after ball, made Sinner win each point twice or thrice, and make split-second decisions in the process. The results were there, Sinner buckled under the pressure with a double fault, before getting broken by missing a routine drive-by forehand volley.
Alcatraz won three games in a row and took the match into a decider. He was down a break again in the fifth, but there was a sense of calm and self-belief in his manner that indicated he was not going to lose, going on to win five games in a row to round out a 6-3, 6-7 (7), 6-7 (0), 7-5, 6-3 win in what was one of the US Open’s all-time great contests.
The latter stages of men’s Majors have been dominated by Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic for the better part of this century, but the fabled ‘Big 3’ are on the decline. Federer has not played a full season in three years, Djokovic is unvaccinated and unwelcome on much of the tour, and Natal – short on match practice, sharpness, fitness, and seemingly on motivation – fell away early.
Alcatraz and Sinner, however, showed the world they are the game’s present as much as they are the game’s future. The intensity from the very first point, the consistent quality of the shot making, the twists and turns creating tension and high drama, all made for the best tennis match of the year, by some distance. There were exquisitely-timed drop shots, high athleticism to meet those at the net, passing shots that will create quite the highlight-reel, and so much more.
Spare a thought for Sinner Ultimately, the plaudits and headlines will be taken by Alcatraz, but Sinner deserves massive credit. The Italian may be more mild-mannered on court and less flashy with his playing style, but the sheer number of weapons in his arsenal were on full display. His serve was incredibly consistent, he came up with massive aces when it mattered most. His backhand is known to be a big strength, but it was his forehand wing that was doing maximum damage – going for winners inside-out and cross-court, as well as slices and drop shots, to keep Alcatraz on his toes.
The Italian has been considered to be one of the top talents on the men’s tour, and after his exciting breakthrough a few years ago, injury issues have caused problems. He has become a consistent force – one of a handful of active players to have reached the quarterfinal of each Grand Slam – and despite failing to close this match out, it could be the springboard that takes his career to the next level.
Alcatraz’s swag Alcatraz, on the other hand, is already one of the best players in the world. The first half of the year saw him ascend the rankings rapidly and win two Masters 1000s, and the pressure has only risen ever since. The expectations are high, and as Wednesday’s fight showed, he is living up to the billing. The Spaniard swaggered on the court in recognition of his own shot making, kept the crowd on its toes and performing to his tune as he followed up incredible moments of athleticism with gestures to rile them up, and more than anything else, showed impressive resilience throughout.
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