Spain’s tennis star Carlos Alcaraz shows no weakness on his title mission at the US Open.
The French Open Champion also won its third match in New York without losing a set and moved into the round of 16 against the Italian Luciano Darderi in just 104 minutes with 6: 2, 6: 0. There he meets the Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech or his compatriot Benjamin Bonzi.
The 22-year-old, who won his first of five Grand slam titles in Flushing Meadows in 2022, had to survive a moment of shock: at the end of the second set, Alcaraz shortened after a serve, let the physio come and reported problems with his right knee. However, the world ranking runner -up shook the injuries quickly and broke Darderi immediately after the Medical Timeout for the set win. Also in the third set, which only lasted 26 minutes, there was no restriction at Alcaraz.
He felt something on his knee, said Alcaraz, “but after five or six points it was gone. It is nothing I am concerned about,” said Alcaraz: “I played great tennis today. I’m proud of that.”
Alcaraz was completely unexpected in the second round in New York in 2024, but this year the Cincinnati-Champion has been presenting itself in top constitution. In the current season, Alcaraz won the title at the French Open in an epic final against Jannik Sinner, in the Wimbledon final he lost to his Italian permanent rival. With a triumph in New York, he would replace the Sinner at the top of the world rankings.