2 things that stood out in Carlos Alcaraz's quarterfinal win over Alexander Zverev at US Open 2023

US Open Tennis
Carlos Alcaraz eased past Alexander Zverev to reach the semifinals of the 2023 US Open.

Top seed Carlos Alcaraz needed a little more than two hours to beat 12th seed Alexander Zverev 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 in the US Open quarterfinal on Wednesday, September 6.

Zverev did not put up much resistance and his efforts proved to be inadequate yet again in a Grand Slam. Alcaraz, meanwhile, is a couple of matches away from what would be a very creditable third Grand Slam title.

Alcaraz will face third seed and former champion Daniil Medvedev in the semifinal on Friday. While Medvedev should be a considerably more difficult proposition than Zverev, Alcaraz should still start as the favorite.

On that note, let us take a look at two things that stood out in Alcaraz's win against Zverev:


#1 Alcaraz’s crosscourt forehand troubled Zverev

As expected, Alcaraz used his crosscourt forehand extensively to make the German stretch towards his right side. Zverev often came up with a weak reply in the subsequent shot, leading to the Spaniard often dispatching the ball with his inside-out forehand.

That pattern was repeated throughout the match, as Zverev struggled to deal with the above tactic. He also failed to hit his down-the-line backhand as often as he would have liked. As a result, he failed to contend with Alcaraz from the baseline.


#2. Alcaraz dominated with his passing shots against Zverev

Zverev’s powerful first serve forced Alcaraz to make a few short returns in the first set and the former was able to dispatch the ball from the mid-court. He often made a dash to the net to try to finish points with volleys. However, it often did not prove to be a successful tactic, as Alcaraz's passing shots kept taking him by surprise.

In comparison, Alcaraz hit a few stupendous volleys to stamp his superiority at the net. He also opted for serve-and-volley at times and executed them perfectly. The Spaniard thus dominated the second and third sets, too, to register a comfortable win.

Zverev fared well with his first serve but was often found wanting on his second delivery. He managed to win only 33% of the points on his second serve in the match, while Alcaraz managed 62%. That was a big difference between the two, as Zverev was not able to break the 20-year-old even once in the match.

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Edited by Anirudh Velamuri
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