Staff Reporter.
Carlos Alcaraz stayed firmly on course to defend his US Open title on Monday as he reached the quarterfinals with a straight-sets win over Italy’s Matteo Arnaldi.
Alcaraz eased past the 61st-ranked Arnaldi 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 under the roof on Arthur Ashe Stadium and will face sixth seed Jannik Sinner or 2020 runner-up Alexander Zverev for a place in the semifinals.
The Spaniard beat Sinner in five sets in last year’s quarterfinals in New York in a match which set a record for the latest ever finish at the tournament of 2:50am.
“Everybody knows about the last match against Jannik, it could be a great quarterfinal but let’s see who I’m going to play.”
“Sascha (Zverev) is playing really well and Jannik as well.”
Alcaraz, 20, is the first man to make the last eight or better in his first three US Open appearances since 1980.
He broke midway through the opening set and then twice in the second, stylishly charging into a two-set lead with a delicate forehand on the run past an outstretched Arnaldi.
Arnaldi pounced on his first opportunity to break Alcaraz early in the third set only to see his advantage erased the following game.
Alcaraz ripped a sensational cross-court forehand to bring up three match points on Arnaldi’s serve at 4-5 and closed out victory inside two hours.
“I think the intensity from the beginning until the last ball, I played a really solid match, less mistakes,” said Alcaraz.
“I’m really happy with the performance in general.”
Rublev into fourth US Open Quarterfinal
Andrey Rublev reached the US Open quarterfinals for the fourth time after beating Britain’s Jack Draper 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Russian eighth seed Rublev goes on to play 2021 champion and compatriot Daniil Medvedev or Australia’s Alex de Minaur, the 13th seed, for a spot in the last four.
The 25-year-old Rublev is through to his third Grand Slam quarterfinal of the season. He has made the last eight of a major nine times but never gone beyond that stage.