US Open: Carlos Alcaraz overcomes injury scare to march into R4

Paris : Spanish superstar Carlos Alcaraz overcame a mid-match wobble during his third-round US Open clash, but regained his rhythm just in time to send Luciano Darderi packing from the competition on Friday.

Alcaraz secured a victory by 6-2, 6-4, 6-0, making it to the fourth round.

Leading by a set and 4-1 in the second set, Alcaraz lost his serve and was pulled into an intense second-set battle. During the exchange of rallies, he appeared to have landed awkwardly after a serve. The 22-year-old sought some medical attention while leading at 5-4 for his right knee, but dominated the next seven games to gain control and win the match within one hour and 44 minutes.

Speaking after the match, he said, as quoted by ATP’s official website, “I am feeling good, it was just a precaution that I asked for the physio. When he broke (Luciano) my serve, in the last point I felt something in the knee, but after five or six points it was gone. I just asked the physio to take care of the knee, so I had to be feeling good. I am going to talk to my team about it, but I am feeling good.”

Alcaraz, who first secured the US Open back in 2022 as his first major title, stays on track for a match with four-time champion Novak Djokovic in the semifinals. For now, his focus will be on his fourth round opponent Arthur Rinderknech, whom he leads 3-0 in their head-to-head series.

Earlier Alexander Zverev advanced to the third round of the competition with a straight-set win over Jacob Fearnley. Zverev, who has been a finalist in every Grand Slam except Wimbledon and is seeking his first major title, broke Fearnley’s serve in the first game of each set to secure a 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 victory.

Zverev next faces No. 25-seeded Feliz Auger-Aliassime, who defeated Roman Safiullin.

 World No. 1 Jannik Sinner registered a comfortable victory over Alexei Popyrin in the second round on Thursday. He won the game in three straight sets, defeating his opponent 6-3, 6-2, 6-2. In another match Alex de Minaur defeated Shintaro Mochizuki in straight sets, 6-2, 6-4, 6-2, to reach the US Open’s third round for the seventh time. De Minaur will bid to reach Round 4 in Flushing Meadows for the third consecutive year when he faces Daniel Altmaier in the third round. Altmaier, however, is through to the third round thanks to a 7-6(5), 1-6, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 upset of 26th seed Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece. (Agencies)

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