US Open 2023: Medvedev leaves Alcaraz no chance

If it were up to the score sheet, Carlos Alcaraz would have easily made it to the final of the US Open 2023, but he was unexpectedly tripped up by Russia's Daniil Medvedev. The lanky 1.98 meter man from Moscow sometimes looks a bit clumsy. You know he's talented, but you rarely really trust him to win a big one, even though he boasts 20 tournament victories, including winning the US Open in 2021. In his quarterfinal match against his compatriot Andrey Rublev, he showed how determined he was. Rarely did Medvedev show such focus, toughness and relentlessness. I think winning the US Open 2021 made it clear to the Russian himself that he has a real chance in this tournament and he wants to use it at all costs. And that's what he did in his clash with Carlos Alcaraz at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing Meadows. While the first set was hard-fought, his victory in the tie-break cleared the way for a clear 6:1 set win in the second set. Carlos Alcaraz had hardly any means to successfully counter the Russian's effective and powerful baseline game. That's why the Spaniard needed a time-out after the second set, in which he wanted and was able to collect himself again in the dressing room. In the third set, Alcaraz played fresh and tried to outplay Medvedev again and again with stop balls. This proved to be an effective remedy. Promptly the match turned around and Alcaraz won the third set, hope germinated again. But in the fourth set the Spaniard fell back into the old pattern and was quickly broken once. Most importantly, Medvedev steadfastly managed to prevent a rebreak, although Alcaraz had several chances to do so. The fact that he could not convert this sealed his eventual defeat. The fact that the Russian's nerves also fluttered was evident from unnecessary errors on his own serve and on match points. In the end, however, Medvedev made things clear and defeated Carlos Alcaraz in four sets. He now moves on to the final on Sunday, where he will meet Novak Djokovic, whom he defeated in 2021. Can he repeat this victory?