US Open 2022, Semifinals, Saturday, 10/09/2022
The four semi-finalists of the US Open 2022, they have been found! Names like Rafael Nadal, Nick Kyrgios, Daniil Medvedev, maybe Stefanos Tsitsipas had been expected. This quartet now has one thing in common: they have long since departed!
The two semi-finals therefore feature players who were not on everyone’s radar. At least not at the top, because the participation of Carlos Alcaraz is no great sensation. But the fact that he will now meet Frances Tiafoe somehow is.
For both players it is one of the biggest matches ever, namely their very first semi-final on the glittering Grand Slam stage. In Betano’s case, you see the young Spaniard with a bit of an advantage.
In my Alcaraz Tiafoe tip, I now reveal why I will bet on a close, intense result!
A talent of the century, one who would be the world’s number 1 before he even turned 20, one who has all the makings of a top star at a very early age? A few months ago, we almost ran out of superlatives for Carlos Alcaraz.
He was collecting trophy after trophy, winning major Masters and seemed unbeatable. In the middle of the year, however, the first small crisis crept in, he no longer brought his strengths onto the court.
Even in the two preparatory tournaments in Cincinnati and Montreal, he only managed two victories. Nevertheless, German bettors were sure that Alcaraz would still play a major role in the US Open.
Luck, aplomb, great fight, his Grand Slam so far divides into these three phases. At 7-5, 7-5 2-0 in the 1st round, his opponent Sebastian Baez had to retire, that could have gone in the eye.
Instead, the Spaniard showed solidity in his two following matches, defeating Federico Coria (6-2, 6-1, 7-5) and Jenson Brooksby (6-3, 6-3, 6-3) outright. He was obviously gathering strength for the round of 16 and quarter-finals, which were to be particularly spectacular.
In the duel against Marin Cilic, Alcaraz had to push himself to the limit and in the end won by a narrow margin of 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3. Whoever thought that a match could not be any tighter was proved wrong in the quarter-finals.
Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner fought for hours, actually both deserved to win. 6-3, 6-7, 6-7, 7-5, 6-3, the luckier of the two was Carlos Alcaraz in the end. Also because Sinner made too many mistakes of his own.
He had 26 break chances, already against Cilic it had been 18. How many did he manage to use? In fact, only 17 in total. With around 60% of the points won on the first serve, his service was not the best either.
He should know: Frances Tiafoe, that’s a kind of player that doesn’t suit him. In Barcelona in 2021, he was narrowly beaten 4-6, 6-7, by the US American in the only direct duel to date.
For this encounter, our bookmakers are a little more optimistic, but odds of 1.50 to 2.40 also show that both players are given chances to reach the final. Nervous, they will probably both be equally so.
Frances Tiafoe gets to play a semi-final in a Grand Slam in front of her own crowd. It may sound cheesy, but here the phrase, he’ll tell his own grandchildren about this one day, is probably definitely appropriate.
The 24-year-old will soon crack the top 20 in the world, is showing himself stronger than ever in New York. His speciality: close results, but without dropping a set. His only set loss: in a 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 against grandmaster Rafael Nadal!
Twice Tiafoe reached 6-3, all other matches had many more games. He had beaten Marcos Giron (7-6, 6-4, 6-3), Jason Kubler (7-6, 7-5, 7-6) and Diego Schwartzman (7-6, 6-4, 6-4) first.
After his triumph over Nadal, he also shone in the quarter-finals against Andrey Rublev, sending the Russian home with a 7-6, 7-6, 6-4. He collected tiebreaks en masse, but: he also won them all!
His 88% winning percentage on first serve against Rublev was enormously strong, and he also rigorously fended off all four of his opponent’s break chances. It is more than impressive how Tiafoe is improving his performance from match to match.
The bookies see Carlos Alcaraz as the favourite, but: What Frances Tiafoe is playing in New York is simply unbelievably good.
Nobody collects more tiebreaks, as Tiafoe really wins them all, his nerves seem to resemble wire ropes. Something Alcaraz will also have to nibble at after ten sets from the last two matches.
Before this semi-final, I therefore don’t want to commit myself to a favourite, but I am relatively sure that we will have to deal with a very tight affair. Therefore, my tip is also:
We see Over 3,5 Sets!
