Carlos Alcaraz defeats Frances Tiafoe at the US Open semifinals in a battle of tennis’ rising stars.Tennis | Published Jul 26, 2019 | Posted by CNBC
In the most memorable match of the US Open men’s final, Carlos Alcaraz of Argentina won a 6-4, 7-6 (7-4), 7-5 win over world number two Frances Tiafoe of the United States in a battle of rising tennis stars.
The pair faced off again in the most memorable match of the men’s final with the two players fighting through a tight contest.
The Argentine defeated the Australian 3-6, 3-6, 6-0, 7-6 (7-1) with a match that included four break points in the opening set and was a thriller from the beginning.
Alcaraz, a world number six, played brilliantly for a full hour and a half, taking the first four sets and breaking Tiafoe twice in the ninth game of the second set.
This victory is the first for Alcaraz in the final and his first grand slam title of any kind. Tiafoe won the US Open singles championship in 2016 and was a finalist in 2013 and 2018, but he has never won a major singles title, losing in the quarterfinals in 2011 to the same player in three straight finals appearances.
“It’s unbelievable to come here and win the US Open final in my first US Open final. It’s a special feeling,” Alcaraz told ESPN in an exclusive interview from the Grandstand.
“I’m more proud of my performance, my opponent and my performance in the finals. That’s something that will stay with me for the rest of my life. At 19, everybody wanted to see a world number one here, a champion. And when this happens, I am a very happy man.”
The Argentine, who turned 30 in April, became the first player in US Open history to win an Australian Open singles title, beating Sam Querrey at the Australian Open in January.
“To be the world number one, number two, the number three in
