Carlos Alcaraz Thinks He Played at ‘Higher Level’ During US Open Compared to Australian Open: “It Was Unmatchable”

Carlos Alcaraz has yet to drop a set in the ongoing Australian Open. Thanks to his ruthless performance, Alcaraz reached the semifinals of this Major for the first time in his career.

After losing two quarterfinals, to Alexander Zverev and to Novak Djokovic, in the previous two Australian Opens, Alcaraz registered a comprehensive victory over home favorite Alex de Minaur to set up a blockbuster semifinal clash with third seed Zverev.

Last year, Alcaraz’s US Open campaign was no different than this run at Melbourne Park. En route to reaching the final, Alcaraz secured all his victories in straight sets, dropping a set only against Jannik Sinner in the final. When the six-time Grand Slam champion was asked to compare his level at the US Open versus his level at this Australian Open, he said he produced his best at Flushing Meadows.

I don’t know. I would say the level of U.S. Open is higher than the level I’m playing right now, but it’s pretty close. We can discuss. I let the people talk about it and say which level is the best. I would say with the level I was serving and the way I was doing everything at the U.S. Open, for me, it was unmatchable, I guess. Just happy and proud of how I’m playing here.

Carlos Alcaraz said at the press conference

With this win, the Spaniard improved his head-to-head record over de Minaur to a perfect 6-0. This also ended the World No.6’s hope to make his first Grand Slam semifinal. Alcaraz now has a 16-4 win-loss record in Melbourne,

Against Zverev, the 22-year-old holds a 6-6 head-to-head record, winning their last meeting in the semifinals of last year’s Cincinnati Masters. Prior to scheduling the match against the first seed, Zverev knocked out 2025 Next-Gen ATP Finals champion Learner Tien in four sets.

Alex de Minaur analyzes his performance versus Carlos Alcaraz

After a high-quality first set, when perhaps some from the tennis community thought Alex de Minaur would be able to maintain his level throughout the match to challenge Carlos Alcaraz and pull off the upset, the World No.1 only turned merciless, exposing the sixth seed’s game, finishing the match in two hours and 15 minutes. Later at the press conference, de Minaur made an honest assessment of his shortcomings.

In terms of mentality or the way I committed to hitting the ball today, it’s what I set out to do. I just can’t really execute it. I didn’t really execute it for the whole match. There was some good parts out there, but overall, I’m playing out of my comfort zone and at times out of my skin. Of course, for me to take that next step, I’ve got to be comfortable in playing that sort of way for the whole match, and that’s what it takes to take it to the next level, especially against these types of guys.

Alex de Minaur said

Last year, de Minaur reached his career’s first Australian Open quarterfinal. He also made the last eight at the US Open, losing in the second round of the French Open and the fourth round of Wimbledon. Last year, de Minaur played two finals. After losing the Rotterdam Open to Alcaraz, he defeated Alejandro Davidovich Fokina at the Citi Open.

If Alcaraz clinches the Melbourne title, he will become the youngest man in the Open Era to complete the Career Grand Slam, surpassing Rafael Nadal, who achieved this feat at 24. Alcaraz is the winner of two French Open, two Wimbledon, and two US Open titles. Last year, he won titles at SW19 and in New York by defeating Jannik Sinner.

Also read: Naomi Osaka’s Ex-Coach Blasts Iva Jovic’s Critics Who Cited her Australian Open Comments as Arrogant

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