Frances Tiafoe’s U.S. Open run ends with defeat by Carlos Alcaraz in semifinals

Carlos Alcaraz surged into his first Grand Slam ultimate and gave himself an opportunity to turn into No. 1 at age 19 by ending Frances Tiafoe’s run on the U.S. Open with a 6-7 (6), 6-3, 6-1, 6-7 (5), 6-3 victory on Friday night time.

No. 3 Alcaraz moved forward by grabbing 9 of 10 video games in a single stretch and will have ended the semifinal when he held a match level within the fourth set. Tiafoe saved that and compelled a fifth set by bettering to 8-0 in tiebreakers in the course of the match.

Showing no indicators of fatigue from his 5-hour, 15-minute quarterfinal win that ended at 2:50 a.m. on Thursday, Alcaraz was higher down the stretch, taking 4 of the final 5 video games.

Alcaraz will face No. 7 Casper Ruud for the championship on Sunday with a lot on the road: The winner will turn into a serious champion for the primary time and lead the rankings subsequent week.

Ruud, a 23-year-old from Norway, claimed a 55-shot level to cap the opening set of his semifinal and wound up beating Karen Khachanov 7-6 (5), 6-2, 5-7, 6-2.

Tiafoe managed two beautiful upsets earlier than dropping to Alcaraz, toppling 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal within the fourth spherical, and Russia’s Andrey Rublev within the quarterfinals.

“I like to indicate the world what I can do,” Tiafoe mentioned after defeating Rublev. “I simply wish to go on the market and attempt to give the gang what they need — and that is me getting the win.”

Before Tiafoe, Andy Roddick was the final U.S. man to get to the semifinals in New York, dropping to Roger Fededer within the title match 16 years in the past. Roddick additionally was the final man from the nation to win any Grand Slam singles championship, taking the 2003 U.S. Open.