Weary Alexander Zverev was no match for Carlos—but Alcaraz's shot-making show must go on

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NEW YORK—Carlos Alcaraz always makes sure to emphasize that winning is his ultimate goal. If he happens to throw in a few shots that make the crowd ooh, aah, gasp, and give him a spontaneous standing ovation, well, that just can’t be helped. It’s not his fault if he’s amazing.

It didn’t too long for Alcaraz, and just about everyone else in Arthur Ashe Stadium, to figure out that winning wasn’t going to be a problem in his quarterfinal with Alexander Zverev on Wednesday night. It had taken the German four hours and 41 minutes to make it through his last match, with Jannik Sinner, and they hadn’t finished until 1:30 in the morning. Zverev tried his best to recover, but a little more than 40 hours later, he wasn’t ready to go toe-to-toe with a world No. 1. Especially not this world No. 1.

Zverev was in it for six games. At 3-3, he even had two chances to break. But on both of those points, he missed his best shot, his backhand. It was the first sign of trouble. The next came when he served at 3-4, and Alcaraz decided to start taking his returns on the short hop and drilling them for winners. Alcaraz broke in suitably spectacular style; put a lob smack on the sideline in the next game; and held for the set. In a matter of about five minutes, the match had gone from possibly competitive to all but over.

“In that moment, I try to play aggressive and show my best tennis,” Alcaraz said of his sudden spike in playing level. Mission accomplished.

Alcaraz did much the same thing at the end of the second set. Up 4-2 with Zverev serving, this was the type of moment when the Spaniard might take a mental vacation, make a few wild errors, and let his opponent hang around longer than necessary. This time Alcaraz’s coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, urged him to go for the kill. Alcaraz obliged by grunting a little louder as he let loose with a screaming forehand down the line. When Zverev somehow managed to return it, Alcaraz grunted louder and rifled a faster forehand for an ovation-inducing winner.

“I try to make people enjoy the matches,” Alcaraz said after his 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 win. “I try to do different shots that people aren’t used to seeing in matches.”

When Zverev took a medical timeout after the second set, Alcaraz even did racquet tricks to keep the crowd entertained, flipping his frame over and over with his left hand until it was spinning as fast a bicycle wheel.

In the final set, Zverev improved physically and earned a couple more break points. Again, though, Alcaraz stayed efficient and refused to prolong the agony; he saved one with a drop shot, and another with a service winner. At 4-4, he broke with a beautiful one-two forehand combination. For once, he didn’t go for broke; instead he gently rolled the putaway shot an inch from the sideline for a match-clinching winner.

This wasn’t A-plus Alcaraz: He hit 29 winners and committed 34 errors, and made 57 percent of his first serves. But what may matter most is the straight-set scoreline. His next opponent, Daniil Medvedev, will also be recovering from an arduous victory, much like Zverev was tonight. Will Medvedev stand a better chance of making it a match, or will we see another episode of the Carlitos show on Friday night?