Carlos Alcaraz secured his first semifinal berth of the Grand Slam after beating Italy’s Jannik Sinner -3, 6-7(7), 6-7(0), 7-5, 6-3 in the thrilling quarterfinal clash of the US Open 2022. The Spaniard had to save a Match Point on Sinner’s serve in the fourth set and battled for five hours and 15 minutes, which is the second longest match in the US Open history, in a nail-biting contest.

Both the players brought their best to the court but it was Alcaraz who had the last laugh. The Spaniard hasn’t been able to get past Sinner in the last two matches but he was able to turn the tables when it mattered the most in a big contest on a big night.

“Honestly, I still don’t know how I did it,” said Alcaraz. “You have to believe in yourself. I believed in my game.

“It was really difficult to close out the match. I tried to stay calm, but it is difficult in the moment.”

“I am going to enjoy [achieving] my first semi-final of a Grand Slam and tomorrow will be the time to think about the match [with Tiafoe],” Alcaraz said.

Jannik Sinner, on the other hand, gave credit to Alcaraz for playing a fine match but admitted he didn’t serve well at a crucial junction of the match.

“It’s not easy to talk now because I finished the match not so long ago. But it was a good match from my side, from his side. Could finish in three sets, could finish in four sets, could finish in five sets. The level was high,” Sinner said.

“At some point I didn’t serve that well, but he was returning well. It was a good match. Obviously the crowd was good. For me only the second time on Ashe. So it was a good match for sure. But a very, very tough one.”

Alcaraz will look to continue his good show as he brought his best against Sinner and most importantly he was able to handle the pressure in the crunch situation. The youngster will face Frances Tiafoe in the semifinal of New York Major.