Carlos Alcaraz entered the quarter-finals against German Alexander Zverev as the favorite, but it ended the other way around.
The 20-year-old Spaniard had nothing to contribute initially and could not be recognized. At times it even looked like a high-playing Zverev was toying with his opponent.
In the first set, the German dropped just one game and it continued more or less the same way until midway through the third, but after looking dejected, Alcaraz managed to recover in the third set and turned the deficit into a tiebreak victory.
The fourth was also tied, but in the end Zverev settled it and made it to the semi-finals. After the match ball, around 20 past one in the morning local time, the German roared his joy.
– When you lead with 6-1, 6-3, 5-2 you start to think. We are all humans. The brain kicks in. But I fought back and I’m very happy that I managed to decide, says Zverev.
It was the first time Zverev defeated a top 5 player in a grand slam tournament.
– He was completely senseless. It was crazy, says Australian star Nick Kyrgios, who is injured and therefore a guest expert on Eurosport’s broadcast.
Zverev now faces Daniil Medvedev in the semi-finals. In the second, Novak Djokovic and the Italian Jannik Sinner meet.
