Matteo Arnaldi, an unheralded Italian participant, was having a stunning time in New York, knocking off one opponent after one other on his solution to the fourth spherical on the U.S. Open.
One, Arthur Fils of France, is predicted to grow to be one of many high gamers of the following decade. Another, Cameron Norrie, the sixteenth seed, has been among the many higher gamers of the previous two years. Those wins earned him a date on Monday with Carlos Alcaraz, the defending champion and world No. 1, in Arthur Ashe Stadium.
“A good challenge,” Arnaldi, 22, who grew up within the shadow of different Italians his age, equivalent to Jannik Sinner and Lorenzo Musetti, stated forward of the match.
His coach, Alessandro Petrone, thought so, too.
“I think tomorrow will be not so easy,” Petrone stated Sunday afternoon as he tried to provide you with a recreation plan for taking over Alcaraz.
Both had been proper. It took Alcaraz 1 hour 57 minutes to take aside Arnaldi, 6-3, 6-3, 6-4. He has dropped only one set in 4 matches.
None of that is significantly stunning. Alcaraz has gained two of the previous 4 Grand Slam occasions and has performed in solely three of them, having missed the Australian Open with a pulled hamstring.
But that is the primary time he has needed to defend one of many greatest titles within the sport, a problem that some high gamers can wrestle with. Iga Swiatek, the ladies’s defending champion, misplaced Sunday night time, a defeat that can price her the No. 1 rating when the brand new rankings are launched subsequent week.
Alcaraz stated Monday that he had tried to place ideas of defending a title out of his head.
“All the pressure that people put on you, on the defending champions, I just delete it and focus on my own game,” Alcaraz stated.
Alcaraz’s match Saturday in opposition to Dan Evans of Britain, lengthy a favourite of tennis sophisticates as a result of his fashion is easy and various, was a shotmaker’s delight. The two gamers placed on a present, impressing themselves and others with lengthy rallies, crammed with contact and energy. There had been loads of large winners hit from behind the baseline and drop photographs feathered to inside inches of the online.
This is the way in which Alcaraz likes it greatest. Massive video boards loom excessive above Arthur Ashe Stadium. Alcaraz loves to look at matches on tv when he isn’t on the court docket, although he additionally likes watching when he’s on the court docket as nicely.
If he has performed a very distinctive shot, one which elicits a loud and lusty roar from the group — and this occurs rather a lot — as quickly as the purpose is over, his eyes gaze skyward.
“I love to see it again,” he stated Monday by that broad smile.
The stakes rise every day, however to this point one of many secrets and techniques of Alcaraz’s success is that tennis has remained one thing of a hoot.
His workday over by early night, he had the luxurious of watching the match between his upcoming quarterfinal opponent, both Sinner or Alexander Zverev of Germany.
His five-set quarterfinal match in opposition to Sinner on the U.S. Open final 12 months ended at almost 3 a.m.
“Going to be a really tough quarterfinal,” Alcaraz stated.
Or not.
Source: www.nytimes.com