US Open 2021: Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Carlos Alcaraz preview, head-to-head & prediction
Match details
Fixture: (3) Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Carlos Alcaraz
Date: 3 September 2021
Tournament: US Open 2021
Round: Third round (Round of 32)
Venue: New York, United States
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Outdoor hardcourt
Prize money: $40,560,000
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel & ESPN | UK - BBC TV & Radio | India - Star Sports / Disney+ Hotstar VVIP
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Carlos Alcaraz preview
Stefanos Tsitsipas and Carlos Alcaraz will lock horns in an exciting third-round encounter at the 2021 US Open on Friday.
Tsitsipas, the third seed, came through a tough battle against Adrian Mannarino in his last match. Having already been pushed to the brink by Andy Murray in his opener, the Greek was taken to four sets by the Frenchman on Wednesday.
This time Tsitsipas made a strong comeback after dropping the third set, and took the fourth 6-0. But against the talented youngster Alcaraz, the third seed is likely to face another difficult challenge.
Alcaraz has been in top form through the first two rounds. The youngster opened his campaign by scoring an upset win over 26th seed Cameron Norrie, and followed that up by taking out Arthur Rinderknech in the Round of 64.
Alcaraz has been dominant in his wins this week, having dropped just one set in the two matches so far. His power-packed game has come alive on the quick New York courts, and he could well cause a few problems for Tsitsipas on Friday.
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Carlos Alcaraz head-to-head
This is set to be the first career meeting between Stefanos Tsitsipas and Carlos Alcaraz, so their current head-to-head stands at a 0-0 deadlock.
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Carlos Alcaraz prediction
Given the gap in their ranking and level of experience, Stefanos Tsitsipas will enter this contest as the firm favorite. The 23-year-old has been stretched to the limit in his two matches this week, but has managed to come out on top on both occasions.
Tsitsipas' solid serving numbers have helped him stay in control despite his slow starts. The Greek has only dropped serve on three occasions so far, and he faced just one break point against Mannarino in the second round.
Against an aggressive baseliner such as Carlos Alcaraz, Tsitsipas will look to score as many free points on serve as he can. The Spaniard's powerful groundstrokes - his lethal forehand in particular - have been instrumental in his wins so far, and he will likely push his opponent on the backfoot in some of the rallies.
Both men enjoy playing with a lot of aggression, but it is Tsitsipas who sets himself up better with his big serve. We expect another intense battle on Friday, with the third seed walking away with a close win.
Prediction: Stefanos Tsitsipas to win in five sets.