Carlos Alcaraz delved into his box of tricks to beat Arthur Rinderknech at the US Open on Sunday and become the youngest man in the open era to reach 13 Grand Slam quarter-finals.
For the first time in those 13 appearances, the Spaniard has made it through to the last eight without dropping a set, easing to a 7-6 (3) 6-3 6-4 victory over Frenchman Rinderknech.
At 22 years and three months, he is younger than both Bjorn Borg and Boris Becker, who are the only other two men to make as many major quarter-finals before turning 23.
Alcaraz had needed treatment for knee pain in the previous round but had shrugged off any concerns and there were no signs of any recurrence here.
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The Spaniard had the New York crowd on their feet when he won a point in a tight opening set with a shot played behind his back, while in the third set he pulled out a succession of brilliant passes.
“Sometimes I practise it, I’m not going to lie,” said Alcaraz with a smile when asked about his unconventional shots.
“I don’t practise it too many times, it’s just if the opportunity is there I will try. And then in the match it’s kind of the same. Why not? The people like it. I like playing tennis like this.”
Alcaraz will face his highest-ranked opponent so far next, with Czech 20th seed Jiri Lehecka awaiting him following a 7-6 (4) 6-4 2-6 6-2 win against veteran Adrian Mannarino.
Last year’s runner-up Jessica Pegula sprinted through her US Open fourth-round clash with American compatriot Ann Li to win 6-1 6-2 on Sunday, moving with ruthless efficiency to close it out in under an hour.
Pegula had a poor run-up to the tournament, exiting early from Washington, Montreal and Cincinnati, but has yet to drop a set in New York and put up a dozen winners as she found her power from the baseline.
“I felt really comfortable moving today,” said Pegula. “I felt like today I started off really well and I just wanted to keep executing that.”
The fourth seed beat Li in their round-two meeting at Roland Garros this year and used the same playbook this time to get a hot start at Arthur Ashe Stadium, winning the first three games.
Li got on the board when she broke Pegula from the baseline in the fourth game but the world number four wrested the momentum back immediately when she converted on another break point in the fifth.
Li handed Pegula the set with a backhand error in the seventh and sent another shot past the baseline on break point to give her opponent a head start in the fourth game of the second set.
Pegula shouted in celebration after clinching victory with a terrific backhand winner down the line, reaching her first major quarter-final this year.
Meanwhile, Jelena Ostapenko has apologised for her incendiary comments towards Taylor Townsend at the US Open.
The Latvian reacted furiously after losing to Townsend in the second round at Flushing Meadows, jabbing her finger repeatedly in the American’s face and accusing her of having “no education” and “no class”.
The source of Ostapenko’s ire was Townsend’s failure to apologise for a net cord but her language led to claims of racism, with Naomi Osaka saying the education comment was “one of the worst things you can say to a black tennis player in a majority white sport”.
Ostapenko declined to speak to the media but denied being racist on social media while defending her actions.
In a further statement on Instagram addressing her behaviour, she wrote: “I wanted to apologize for some of the things I said during my second-round singles match.
“English is not my native language so when I said education, I was speaking only about what I believe as tennis etiquette, but I understand how the words I used could have offended many people beyond the tennis court.
“I appreciate the support as I continue to learn and grow as a person and a tennis player. Goodbye New York and I look forward to being back next year.”
