Tennis » There are now them and the others! Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic crush the competition to deliver a duel that electrifies the crowds. From Monday in New York, the Spaniard and the Serb will play Act III after the semi-final of Roland-Garros won by Novak Djokovic and the Wimbledon final won by Carlos Alcaraz. The winner of this beauty will indeed be the great champion of 2023, the first year of tennis without Roger Federer who we did not believe could be so wonderful.
Defending champion at Flushing Meadows, Carlos Alcaraz does not start this fortnight with the best cards. Juan-Carlos Ferrero’s protege was not spoiled by fate with a theoretical quarter-final against Jannik Sinner, the only one who seems capable of opposing the two big favorites. Last year, the Spaniard and the Italian faced each other at the same stage of the competition for an unforgettable encounter. Carlos Alcaraz won after 5:15 of the match.
An important boss
And for 12 months, Jannik Sinner seems to have reached an important milestone at the beginning of the month in Toronto where he won the first Masters 1000 of his career. The presence in this top of the table of Daniil Medvedev, titled in New York in 2021, can further complicate the task of Carlos Alcaraz. If he dismisses Jannik Sinner, beating the Russian in the semi-finals will not be a formality. Looking for a 24th grand slam title, the first in New York since… 2018, Novak Djokovic will only need a first-round success against Frenchman Alexander Muller to regain his place as world No. 1. But his ambition is not limited to this umpteenth changing of the guard. At 36, this race for the No. 1 spot is no longer really his priority.
He intends, above all, to give back to Carlos Alcaraz who deprived him of an eighth title and a historic five at Wimbledon. Last Sunday in Cincinnati, the Serb showed his teeth for the first time with this victory in an incredible final against Carlos Alcaraz who found himself one point from victory. For the seventeenth time in his career, Novak Djokovic has won a match in which he had to save one or more match points. This stat shows how strong you have to be to win the last point against him.
Bencic en outsider
If Carlos Alcaraz is about to lose his place as No. 1 during this fortnight, the throne of Iga Swiatek is also wavering. The Pole will no longer be the No. 1 if the Australian champion Aryna Sabalenka signs a better course during this US Open. But the first two of the WTA rankings are not really the favorites of the tournament. This status is assumed by Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff, winners of the WTA 1000 in Montreal and Cincinnati respectively.
Mocked, no doubt wrongly, for her inability to exceed her limits due to her social status – she is the daughter of a millionaire – Jessica Pegula wants to believe that her time has come in “her” tournament. As for Coco Gauff, she says she has been transformed by the contribution of her new coach Brad Gilbert, the man who had led Andy Roddick to the top and given a second youth to Andre Agassi. The Atlanta teenager has an appointment with Iga Swiatek in the quarterfinals.
Semi-finalist in New York for the best result to date of her career in a grand slam tournament, Belinda Bencic is no longer among the contenders for victory. The Saint-Galloise has both paid a heavy price for injuries and her inability to regain the fluid that accompanied her during the conquest of Olympic gold two years ago in Tokyo. Posted in the second quarter of the table, that of Elena Rybakina, she has however the means to make her way a little bit…
ats
2023-08-26 01:06:58
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