NEW YORK (AFP) — Carlos Alcaraz powered into the semifinals of the US Open on Wednesday as rival Daniil Medvedev battled through a brutal heatwave to join the Spaniard in the Last Four.
Defending champion Alcaraz moved to within one win of a potential dream final with Novak Djokovic with an emphatic straight sets victory over German 12th Alexander Zverev.
Zverev had emerged as a dark horse after a marathon five-set win over Italy’s sixth seed Jannik Sinner on Monday.
But the German’s hopes of extending his stay in New York were obliterated by a devastatingly clinical performance from Alcaraz, who completed a 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 win in two hours and 30 minutes on the Arthur Ashe Stadium court.
The victory leaves the 20-year-old Alcaraz firmly on course for another final showdown with 23-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic after their Wimbledon classic in July.
Djokovic faces unseeded American Ben Shelton in Friday’s other semifinal.
“I’m feeling really comfortable playing on this court, playing in New York,” said Alcaraz, who will face Russian third seed Medvedev in the semifinals on Friday.
“I’m feeling strong. I think I’m ready for a great battle against Medvedev,” added Alcaraz, who has dropped just one set en route to the Last Four.
Medvedev had earlier secured his place in the semi-finals with a 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 victory over compatriot Andrey Rublev in punishing, furnace-like conditions that the Russian said endangered players.
New York has been sweltering in a heatwave this week, with high humidity and temperatures at Flushing Meadows on Wednesday hitting 35 degrees Celsius.
Tournament organizers confirmed that extreme heat measures were in effect for the quarter-final — but Medvedev was clearly unimpressed.
At one point during the third set, the 2021 US Open champion muttered to a nearby television camera “one player is going to die and they’re going to see” as he grabbed a towel.
“The conditions were brutal. The only good thing is that both players suffer, so it’s tough for both of us,” Medvedev said after his victory in two hours and 48 minutes.
“At the end of the first set I kind of couldn’t see the ball anymore. I kind of just played with sensations.”
Both Medvedev and Rublev attempted to cool down during changeovers by wrapping towels packed with ice around them, while Medvedev could be seen puffing from an inhaler.
Wednesday’s play got under way earlier in blazing sunshine on Arthur Ashe, where China’s Zheng Qinwen struggled before being overwhelmed by second seed Aryna Sabalenka 6-1, 6-4.
Zheng said the partially closed roof on Arthur Ashe — a move designed to protect spectators from the sun — had caused her problems, making it hard to focus on the ball with shadows darkening part of the court.
