New York (EFE).- Carlos Alcaraz returned to the semifinals of the US Open this Tuesday, two years later, after defeating Czech Jiri Lehecka with authority in what was his first major test in New York.
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Furthermore, with Tuesday’s victory, he surpasses the 10,000-point barrier in the ATP ranking for the first time in his career, virtually placing him at 10,340. In the semifinals, Alcaraz will face the winner of the match between American Taylor Fritz (world No. 4) and Serbian Novak Djokovic, who is seeking to expand his legend with his 25th ‘Grand Slam’ title. Alcaraz had faced Lehecka twice this year with a record of one victory – in the Queen’s final – and one defeat in Doha. On the eve of the match, Alcaraz said he needed to “review what went well and what went wrong in those matches to come prepared”.
An iron serve
It’s difficult for a player to get into the match when they concede a break in the first game of both sets. That’s what Alcaraz did to Lehecka, who was always rowing against the current. In addition, Alcaraz dug in on his serve, without facing a single ‘break’ point in the entire match. The player from Murcia only conceded six service points in the first set, another six in the second and two in the third. That security (63% first serves, 84% points with the first serve and 73% with the second) allowed him to deploy his entire arsenal of resources and tricks, including a spectacular volley at 3-2 and 15-30 in the second set, which began to take its toll on Lehecka’s despair. So, he took the first set 6-4 and the second 6-2. Alcaraz resolves with authority and looks towards the highest Lehecka, who also opened the third set serving, this time held his serve and defended it until 4-4. However, Alcaraz responded with tyranny to each of those games. With 30-40 on the rest, Alcaraz took advantage of a ‘break’ ball that at that moment seemed like a match point, going up 5-4 on serve, for the game to love. Once the match was over, Alcaraz spoke about the possibility of seizing the number 1 spot in the ATP ranking, which Italian Jannik Sinner has held for 65 weeks. “It’s very difficult not to think about it, it’s obvious. But every time I get on the court I try not to think about it. I think if I focus too much on the number one spot, I’ll put pressure on myself, and I don’t want to do that,” said Alcaraz “I just want to get out on the court, try to do my thing, pursue my goals on the court and enjoy it as much as possible. The number one is there, but I try not to think about it too much,” he added. It’s enough to equal Sinner to reign in the ATP ranking Carlos Alcaraz of Spain reacts after breaking serve in the third set against Jiri Lehecka of the Czech Republic during the quarter-finals of the US Open Tennis Championships. EFE/EPA/JOHN G. MABANGLO Alcaraz only needs to equal Sinner’s result (currently in the quarter-finals) to climb to the top of the ATP ranking. On his way to the semifinals, Alcaraz has left behind the American Reilly Opelka (No. 67), the Italian Mattia Bellucci (No. 65), the Italian-Argentine Luciano Darderi (No. 34), the French Arthur Rinderknech (No. 82) and the Czech Lehecka, in that order. The Murcian has gone through his first five rounds without conceding a single set and is the only man alive in New York who maintains that dominance. In 2025, Alcaraz has accumulated more victories than any other tennis player, with a record of 59-6. In the ‘Grand Slams’ he registers 22-2. The Murcian has also won more titles (6) than anyone else (Roland Garros, Rome, Monte Carlo, Cincinnati and Queen’s) and has reached the final of the last seven tournaments in which he has participated.
