Wawrinka almost with age record
Alcaraz marches and ennobles former BVB star
09/01/2023, 10:05 am
Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev are not showing any weaknesses in New York. The Spaniard is eager to defend his title and is thinking of a football player from his favorite club, Real Madrid. Stan Wawrinka defies age, Ons Jabeur a flu.
Carlos Alcaraz, in his colorfully striped muscle shirt, raised his winning fist into the New York night sky. The defending champion is very pleased with his form early on in the tournament. “I played a good match, from start to finish,” said the Spaniard after his safe 6: 3, 6: 1, 7: 6 (7: 4) against South African Lloyd Harris and entry into the third round of the US Open: “It’s very good to win in three sets in the first rounds. That’s very important for me.”
This is how the Wimbledon winner can save energy for his title defense mission, where Alexander Zverev or the Italian young star Jannik Sinner could wait in the quarterfinals. Alcaraz brings the necessary lightness with him – the 20-year-old laughed again and again against Harris, high-fiving his opponent after spectacular rallies.
“I had my fun on the pitch,” said Alcaraz, who will lose world number one to Novak Djokovic after the US Open – but wants to be the first man since Roger Federer in 2008 to triumph twice in a row at Flushing Meadows.
“Bellingham one of the best in the world”
Even his title mission doesn’t stop Alcaraz from pursuing his favorite club Real Madrid – and Jude Bellingham in particular has done it with the tennis superstar. “I’m really happy he’s at Real. He’s such a great, talented player, one of the best in the world,” said the Spaniard. Bellingham, who switched from Borussia Dortmund to the Spanish record champions for over 100 million euros in the summer, will “certainly be the best player in the world in his position,” said Alcaraz about the Englishman. Bellingham has scored four goals in his first three league games for Real. “I talk to him sometimes. He’s a great person,” said Alcaraz, who is the same age as Bellingham.
Daniil Medvedev also knows how to win in New York. The 2021 champion had to invest a lot to progress against Australian Christopher O’Connell, but ended up winning at 1:09 a.m. local time 6-2, 6-2, 6-7 (6-8), 6-2 and meets Argentinian Sebastian Baez in the third round. “It was a great match, with a lot of people here. I hope you don’t have to get up early tomorrow,” said Russia, third in the world rankings, with a smile.
Even with the women, the favorites did not show any weaknesses. Last year’s finalist Ons Jabeur defied a mild flu and advanced to the third round with a difficult 7: 6 (9: 7), 4: 6, 6: 3 against the young Czech Linda Noskova, as did US hope Jessica Pegula. “I’ve been sick since Thursday,” said Jabeur: “I’m on a lot of medication. I’m doing everything I can with my team to recover.”
Wawrinka on Jimmy Connor’s footsteps
World number three Pegula, who has never made it past the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam, defeated Romanian Patricia Maria Tig 6-3, 6-1 at Arthur Ashe Stadium and is now up against Ukrainian Elina Switolina (No. 26). do. “It’s going to be a big battle, she’s very strong,” said Pegula.
Meanwhile, former tournament winner Stan Wawrinka continues to cause a sensation among the men. The 38-year-old Swiss, who triumphed in New York in 2016, won his second-round duel against Argentinian Tomas Etcheverry 7: 6 (8: 6), 6: 7 (7: 9), 6: 3, 6: 2 and drew as oldest professional in 32 years into the third round.
The last time Jimmy Connors (then 39) was older than Wawrinka in a second-round win at Flushing Meadows was in 1991. “It doesn’t matter how old you are,” said three-time Grand Slam winner Wawrinka: “If you’re still enthusiastic about something, you shouldn’t stop.”