WHAT HAPPENED: This one goes to 11.
Every time we check in on Carlos Alcaraz, the 22-year-old wunderkind either seems to be stretching a winning streak or starting a new one. On Tuesday in Arthur Ashe Stadium, he expanded his current streak to 11 with a 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 victory over talented Czech Jiri Lehecka, booking his ninth career Grand Slam final appearance, and third in Flushing Meadows.
It’s par for the course for the showstopping Alcaraz, whose blinding athleticism now comes packaged with a determination, born of two earlier-than-expected losses in his last two US Open appearances. The 2022 champion is hungry for more Grand Slam hardware in New York, and the wins are coming fast and furious.
Alcaraz has reached the semifinals without dropping a single set, and he will face either Novak Djokovic or Taylor Fritz in Friday’s semifinals.
Though his shakedown of 21st-ranked Lehecka didn’t last as long as the enthusiastic patrons inside Arthur Ashe Stadium would have liked, Alcaraz gave them plenty to get out of their seats for.
He gave Lehecka more than he bargained for, as well.
“I think that today I kind of met the Grand Slam version of Carlos,” he said, adding: “Even when I played really good rally, even when I tried to put him under pressure, go to the net, change the rhythm, do something, he was there, and he had an answer for everything I tried.”
He was on the front foot early in the first set, and even had a point for a double-break lead, with Lehecka serving at 0-2, but a rare forehand error allowed the Czech to catch his breath.
Credit Lehecka for his role in elevating the quality of the pair’s fourth meeting. The Czech had defeated Alcaraz in February in Doha, and played him tough on Tuesday, albeit without gaining much traction on the scoreboard.
Alcaraz made his break stand up in the opening set, and he broke again early in the second. All the more reason to relax and hit free. That freedom led to some world-class free verse. A tweener attempt failed in the sixth game of the second set, but a lunging volley that lurched over the net for a winner was a resounding success, bringing Alcaraz out of his first 0-30 of the match as he raked in four straight points for 4-2.
Another inspired flurry of improbable shotmaking in the next game led to a pair of break points, and a rare letdown from Lehecka: a double-fault on the second.
Alcaraz quickly served out the set and walked to his chair with a two-sets-to-love lead in his pocket after one hour and 17 minutes.
Lehecka competed well all afternoon, and continued the trend early in the third set by rallying from 0-30 down in his first two service games. He escaped trouble again in the seventh game, saving a break point with bold serving and holding for 4-3.
It wasn’t the scoreboard pressure that eventually caused Lehecka to crack, it was the lightning-quick speed of Alcaraz, who worked the Czech all over the court before finally forcing an error for the critical break in the ninth game.
Moments later, the Spaniard stepped the line and put his final stamp on a signature win, ending the match with his 15th consecutive service point won. He’ll head into the semifinals with confidence on high, having completed Tuesday’s mission in under two hours.
“I think today I just played [an] almost perfect match, I would say,” Alcaraz told reporters after his win. “Just two more steps to do, and let's see what happens. I am feeling great and hungry to make it.”
WHAT IT MEANS: The intrigue only builds as we move into the business end of the 2025 US Open. Jannik Sinner is still looking unstoppable in the top half of the draw, as he rides his 25-match hard court winning streak at the majors into his clash with fellow Italian Lorenzo Musetti tomorrow. A third consecutive Grand Slam final between the two feels inevitable but there’s a looming semifinal clash with either Djokovic or Fritz to worry about first for Alcaraz.
Don’t go anywhere—things are getting interesting in Gotham City.
MATCH POINT: In 2022, when Alcaraz won his maiden US Open title, he spent 23 hours, 39 minutes on court, most by a US Open champion on record (stats have been kept only since 1999). This year he is through five rounds in nine hours and 33 minutes.
Alcaraz has dropped serve just once en route to the semifinals, holding serve in 68 of 69 games to become the fifth man in Open Era to reach nine Grand Slam semifinals before turning 23 years of age.
