"Hope is the last thing you lose" - Carlos Alcaraz on his hard-fought win against Jannik Sinner in US Open QF
Carlos Alcaraz believed in himself and his abilities and did not lose hope for more than five hours before emerging victorious in his five-set battle with Jannik Sinner in the quarterfinals of the 2022 US Open on Wednesday.
Alcaraz and Sinner played out an epic contest at Arthur Ashe Stadium, with the match finishing well into the early hours of Thursday. The Spaniard came out on top, outlasting Sinner 6-3, 6-7(7), 6-7(0), 7-5, 6-3 in the five-hour, 15-minute contest, saving a match point en route to the win. It went down as the second-longest match in US Open history.
Un-believable.
@carlosalcaraz we have no words. https://t.co/3fflDLRiUb
Speaking after the win in his on-court interview, the 19-year-old stated that he backed himself to win despite finding himself in a hole at the end of the fourth set when he was a point away from packing his bags.
"I always say that you have to believe in yourself all the time. Hope is the last thing that you lose, you know. I just believed in myself, believed my game. I knew that to close the match is really, really difficult in this match, in this round. Really, really difficult to close the match, so I have to stay in the match, trying to stay calm but it is difficult to stay calm in that moment. Obviously it's to believe in yourself," he said.
Carlos Alcaraz credited the fans for staying late and pushing him over the finish line, thanking them for supporting even during his bad moments.
"Honestly, it's a thank you to all of you [for my win]. I mean, I will never be tired to say that all the wins that I have in this amazing court is thanks to you. The support that I receive in the bad moments, in the whole match, it's just unbelievable. I couldn’t believe the energy that I received here, so thank you very much," he said.
It’s 3am and Carlos Alcaraz is still signing autographs after playing tennis for 5:15… after throwing two of his shoes into the crowd. https://t.co/Zl8KP6VI1C
Carlos Alcaraz to face Frances Tiafoe for a place in the 2022 US Open final
Following the defeat of Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz set up a semifinal clash with Frances Tiafoe next. The two have faced each other once before, in Barcelona last year, where the American emerged victorious 6-4, 7-6(2).
While Alcaraz knows that a tough contest awaits him, he hopes to enjoy the feeling of making his first Grand Slam semifinal before thinking about the upcoming clash against Tiafoe.
"Well, everyone knows the level of Tiafoe, he beat Rafa, he beat Rublev in three sets. He plays really good, I mean he plays he's a lot of confidence right now. Obviously this court is special for him as well, the energy that he receives is amazing as well. So it's gonna be a very tough match," he said in his press conference afterward.
"But the at the moment I'm gonna enjoy this moment, I'm gonna enjoy my first semifinal of a Grand Slam and tomorrow I will have time to think about the match, but the right now is just to take a rest and enjoy this moment," he added.
Also Checkout:- US Open 2022 Schedule