“Vamos, Carlos,” the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd kept yelling.
“Vamos, Carlos,” they screamed.
“Vamos, Carlos,” they implored.
And after four hours and seven thrilling minutes, it was “Adios, Stefanos.”
Carlos Alcaraz, the 18-year-old Spanish phenom who has been dubbed “Baby Nadal,” pulled the biggest early upset of the U.S. Open, sending third-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas home with a dramatic 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (2), 0-6, 7-6 (5) victory that propelled the teenager into the fourth round.
Alcaraz closed the match with an inside-out forehand winner and collapsed to the court following his 61st winner of the match, his body shaking and his hands over his face.
“This victory means a lot to me,” he said in his on-court interview. “It’s the best match of my career, the best win. It’s a dream come true for me.”
Alcaraz was already the youngest player to win a match at all four majors in the same year since Goran Ivanisevic in 1989 and the youngest to reach the U.S. Open’s third round since 2007.
The fans were decidedly in Alcaraz’s favor, sensing an upset after he took the first set. Tsitsipas had become a villain for his penchant to take lengthy breaks between sets, and was booed during his previous two matches, and criticized after both victories.
“I mean, I think without this crowd I haven’t the possibility to win the match,” Alcaraz said.
