Carlos Alcaraz handed a TRICKY draw in pursuit of his second US Open title as Jannik Sinner and Alexander Zverev block his way
The Spaniard is the top seed and by far the favorite to win and defend the US Open this year.
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Carlos Alcaraz (Source: TOI)
US Open top seed Carlos Alcaraz has been in incredible form lately, and he will be heading into the tournament as the favorite. The 20-year-old is the defending champion, having defeated Casper Ruud in the 2022 US Open final. He also recently won the prestigious 2023 Wimbledon Open by defeating Novak Djokovic in the final. However, he lost his very last tournament, i.e., the Cincinnati Open, against the Serbian in an intense final. Thus, he is heading into the US Open in sensational form but after a disappointing loss.
The race for the World No.1 spot has been going on between Alcaraz and Djokovic for quite some time now. The Serb replaced Alcaraz at the top of the rankings after winning the Roland Garros, his record 23rd Grand Slam.
Later, the Spaniard reclaimed his position after defeating Djoker in the Wimbledon 2023 final. The results of the upcoming US Open can stir the rankings a lot though.
Tough road ahead for Carlos Alcaraz
As mentioned earlier, Carlos Alcaraz is the first seed in the upcoming US Open. The Spaniard will face German tennis player Dominik Koepfer in the first round. In the second round, he can either face South Africa’s Lloyd Harris or Argentina’s Guido Pella. In the third round, the Spaniard can face Dan Evans or Botic van de Zandschulp.
The fourth round is where things get complicated. There are three potential round-four opponents for Alcaraz. They are Cameron Norrie, Tallon Griekspoor, and Thanasi Kokkinakis.
Things will start to get really difficult for the 20-year-old from the fifth round (quarterfinals) onward. He will either face 2024 Montreal Open winner Jannik Sinner, 2017 Italian Open winner Alexander Zverev, Bulgarian player Grigor Dimitrov, or three times Grand Slam winner Stan Wawrinka.
In the semi-finals, Alcaraz’s opponents will be someone between Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev, and Hubert Hurkacz. The first and second seeds can not face each other before the final. Thus, Carlos Alcaraz can meet Novak Djokovic only in the US Open final. Apart from that, he can also face Holger Rune in the final of the tournament.
Carlos Alcaraz’s potential path to his second US Open title
- R1 – Dominik Koepfer
- R2 – Lloyd Harris/Guido Pella
- R3 – Dan Evans/Van De Zandschulp
- R4 – Cameron Norrie/Tallon Griekspoor/Thanasi Kokkinakis
- QF – Jannik Sinner/Alexander Zverev/Grigor Dimitrov/Stan Wawrinka
- SF – Daniil Medvedev/Andrey Rublev/Hubert Hurkacz
- F – Novak Djokovic/Holger Rune
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Rishab Dutta
(794 Articles Published)