Spanish teenager Carlos Alcarez has stunned the Greek third seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in a fifth tie-breaker set in a thrilling third-round US Open match.
18-years old Alcaraz twice led Tsitsipas by a set before prevailing 6-3 4-6 7-6 (7-2) 0-6 7-6 (7-5) to set up his first Grand Slam fourth-round appearance.
Alcaraz has made his name into the history books and demonstrated why he is thought to be the man for future glory as he shocked the third-ranked Tsitsipas at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Alcaraz with this victory became the youngest man to reach the French Open third round since 1992.
The intense match was a perfect fit for the young Alcarez to show his maturity and skills well beyond his age. The young prodigy also recovered from failing to take a game in the fourth.
Shining amidst the clamour, the Spaniard survived a breakpoint at 3-2 down in the deciding set and showed no signs of pressure as he blustered the final point to advance to a fourth-round meeting with German Peter Gojowczyk.
“I think without this crowd I haven’t the possibility to win the match,” said Alcaraz. “I was down at the beginning of the fourth set so thank you to the crowd for pushing me up in the fifth.
“It’s an incredible feeling for me. This victory means a lot to me. It’s the best match of my career, the best win, to beat Stefanos Tsitsipas is a dream come true for me.”
The toilet tactics of Tsitsipas-taking a lengthy mid-match toilet break received audible jibes and backlash in the match against Adrian Mannarino on Wednesday. The tactic did not work against the young Spaniard. Tsitsipas took a toilet break against Alcarez too. However, despite sweeping up the fourth set he couldn’t find a way to beat the young charm.
