Even when Alcaraz levelled the match by snapping up the second set, the Spaniard was unable to generate significant momentum. Again and again, Tiafoe covered the court magnificently to create a spectrum of opportunities—crisp down-the-line backhands, angled forehands and, quite often, deft volleys. Through the first four sets, Tiafoe won 31 of 43 points at the net.
“He didn’t let me to get into the match,” said Alcaraz. “Yeah, I broke his serves twice in the second set, but after that I had not too much opportunities to break his serves. It was difficult sometimes to play with it.”
But as we’ve learned in recent years, Alcaraz is not a man to be outdone, be it in either the creativity or tenacity department. As he took in those many blows from Tiafoe, Alcaraz maintained his trademark tranquility and engagement. Perhaps the single most important point of the match came in the fourth set tiebreaker. Tiafoe served at 0-1, lunged to strike a high forehand volley deep into Alcaraz’s backhand corner, only to find his body weight upon finishing the shot take him to the right of the alley—and in the process, open up the court for Alcaraz to roll a crosscourt backhand passing shot for a winner. On the next point, Alcaraz laced an inside-out forehand winner.
In the fifth set, Tiafoe was spent. Having struck 36 winners in the first four sets, in the fifth he only hit three. “I know that the other guy has to play at a really high level of tennis intensity in the five set if he wants to beat me,” said Alcaraz, who upped his career five-set record to 12-1.
