With Sinner serving at 5-6, Alcaraz made a push. He hit his first drop shot winner of the day to get to deuce, and followed that with a forehand volley winner to reach set point.
Alcaraz’s vaunted cariety look like it might win him the set. This time, though, Sinner had his own surprise in store. Forced to hit a second serve, he stunned Alcaraz, by firing a ball down the T at 117 m.p.h. to save set point. He followed that with a 105-m.p.h. forehand and a service winner to push the set to a tiebreaker.
It was there that Sinner showed off his shot-making palette in full.
At 3-2, he had to hit another second serve. Instead of ramping it up, this time he slowed it a crawl, and induced a backhand error from Alcaraz. At 4-3, Sinner lofted a delicate backhand lob on the run, and won the point with a smash. Finally, at 5-4, he brought the crowd to its most delirious roar with a topspin lob that the charging Alcaraz could only turn and watch fall for a winner.
“It was a very, very tough and close matchup,” Sinner said. “Set point in the first set, I’m extremely happy the way I handled that situation.”
“Playing against Carlos, you have to play at your best.”
