US Open - Quarter Finals

At this point the majority of the players are eliminated, only the best are still in the game. Yesterday took place the quarter finals and a few players had to say goodbye to the tournament.

Botic van de Zandschulp had the pleasure to experience how it feels like playing against world no. 2, Daniil Medvedev, at a major tournament. It's a miracle the Dutch got this far already. The first two sets were a bit rocky. In the first set van de Zandschulp managed to win 3 games, but the second was all Medvedev's, the Dutch couldn't win one single game. Usually a beginning like this has a huge impact mentally that can affect the rest of the game, but that's not what happened here.

Like a miracle, van de Zandschulp had a stunning comeback, he was able to win the third set and have a great performance in the fourth set. I'm not going to lie, I wasn't expecting such a comeback. I guess with a little more experience he could do a lot more next season.

The other quarter final was between Felix Auger Aliassime and Carlos Alcaraz Garfia, two young talents. As I have been writing in my previous posts, Aliassime had a stunning run so far at the US open and so can be said about Garfia. The young Spanish was able to end Tsitsipas's run in five sets.

Yesterday however only one of them was lucky. Unfortunately Garfia had to withdraw dues to health issues. Looks like the effort this tournament has required was a bit too much. It's not surprising as he's only 18 years old and this is the biggest tournament he has taken part of and maybe the best result he has been able to get. The good thing is he had the strength and cleverness to withdraw, before it was too late. A better training program and proper nutrition he may be able to shine at the next tournament. I'm looking forward to seeing him again as he's here to stay and show the world what the next generation is capable of.

I have left the most painful game to the end of my post, the one between Alexander Zverev and Lloyd Harris. It was clear from the beginning that the chances for Harris to win are slim, but there was still a chance.

They have met twice before, both times Zverev managed to win, but since then Harris has managed to get more experience. The first set was absolutely amazing. They both had mistakes, quite many, but aces as well. When they got to the tie-break, I was hoping Harris to win, but then something happened at the end that changed everything.

Those big panels have been annoying, Zverev complained in the beginning of the set, but then in the tie-break the chair umpire decided to give a call to those concerned, that took a few minutes, while the players were waiting. A break like that in a key moment is never good and it may have caused Harris to lose the tie-break.

Then something terrible happened, something that I've never seen before. Harris took out a few water bottles from the fridge and threw two on the ground, out of anger. These bottles broke and the court got flooded with water. Not something to be proud of really. Others usually smash their rackets, Harris chose something unique and original.

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When the commercial break was over, we saw them all cleaning the floor. Ball kids, Harris, Zverev, even the chair umpire. The commentator said this may cost Harris as he could get a warning, plus a fine but have not heard anything officially yet. Anyway, it was not a smart move, he wanted to blow off some steam but this was not the way.

Ok, jokes aside, unfortunately losing the first set when he was so close had some serious consequences. He kind of lost focus and could not play at the required level. In the third set he had a remarkable comeback, but it was already too late.

This was the biggest match of his career as he has never reached the quarters in a Grand Slam tournament, so nothing is lost yet. He's 24 years old, still has time to get better. I'm sure we're going to see him more in the upcoming future. After this tournament he may move up to 30 something ATP. Even though he lost, I'm still proud f him as he did well.

Novak Djokovic had no specific problems with the Italian Matteo Berrettini, even though he needed four sets to win because Berettini was able to win the first set. I was hoping for a different outcome, but it looks like we're not there yet. Berettini needs to improve and Djokovic is not ready to give his place up yet.

Semi-Finals

Tomorrow we have two semi-finals. One will be between Felix Auger Aliassime and Daniil Medvedev. Needless to say, the Canadian is going to get a real tennis lesson from Medvedev. It's a miracle he got this far, it may be the biggest achievement of his so far, but no way he can win against world No. 2.

The other one will be tougher, as Novak Djokovic will face Alexander Zverev. Logic says Djokovic has more chance, or he's the only one with chance, but we all know everything is possible.

If I were to make a prediction, I'd say Medvedev will be playing the final with Djokovic, but there's a slight chance to be Zverev. let's see.