US Open 2021: 18-year-old Carlos Alcaraz upsets Stefanos Tsitsipas in Round 3 thriller

Carlos Alcaraz at the age of 18 pulled off the biggest win of his career by emerging victorious against World No. 3 ranked Stefanos Tsitsipas at the Arthur Ashe Stadium on Saturday. The Spaniard upset Tsitsipas 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(2), 0-6, 7-6(5) in the third round of the U.S. Open. Alcaraz, who was playing in the third round for the first time in his career, displayed powerful groundstrokes in an entertaining match, that resulted in Tsitsipas’s exit from the tournament. 

Crowd rise to their feet with chants of "Carlos! Carlos!"

As per the Associated Press, the World No. 55, Alcaraz participating in only his 10th Grand Slam tournament, after the win, said, “This victory means a lot to me. This is the best match of my career. The best win”. Despite being down 5-2 in the third set, Alcaraz kept pushing his efforts in the match that stretched past four hours. Tsitsipas, while praising Alcaraz after the match said, “He can be a contender for Grand Slam titles. He has the game to be there.” Alcaraz is highly considered by his home crowd in Spain as the player who will eventually succeed Rafael Nadal as Spain’s top tennis player.

Meanwhile, the Greek player, Tsitsipas yet again faced the heat from the crowds for his controversial lengthy toilet breaks. Earlier during the first round of the 2021 US Open, during British tennis player Andy Murray’s match against Tsitsipas, Murray was furious over him for taking an eight-minute toilet break before the fifth set of the round. However, Tsitsipas won the match and knocked off Murray. Murray then took to his Twitter handle, to show his frustration and openly called out Tsitsipas. Although Tsitsipas didn’t break any rules, it is being considered a tactic used by him to distract his opponents.

In the round 3 match, the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd let their hearts out in support of Alcaraz, whereas, they shouted hurls at Tsitsipas, asking him to be sent to the toilet. As Alcaraz approached the win the crowd chanted “Let’s go, Carlos!”, and rose to their feet upon his win. 

Watch Carlos Alcaraz vs Stefanos Tsitsipas Round 3 match highlights-

(With inputs from AP)

(Image Source: AP)