By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Monday March 28, 2022
Stefanos Tsitsipas left the court with a bitter taste in his mouth last September, after falling to Carlos Alcaraz in the third round at the US Open.
The rising Spaniard, an instant hit with the rowdies inside Arthur Ashe Stadium, notched a 6-3, 4-6, 7-6, 0-6 7-6 triumph and eventually reached the quarterfinals, becoming the youngest man to reach the last eight at the US Open in Open Era history.
“It’s kind of bitter, I would say, especially after such an incredible fourth set by my side,” Tsitsipas told reporters at the time. “I have never seen someone play such a good fifth set, honestly.”
On Tuesday at Miami the pair will meet again, and this time Alcaraz is much more of a known commodity. The 18-year-old, who turns 19 on May 5th, became the youngest player ever to win the title in Rio in February and reached the semifinals at Indian Wells two weeks ago, where he pushed Rafael Nadal to a third set.
At 14-2 on the season, Alcaraz has only lost to Matteo Berrettini and Rafael Nadal this season, taking both the distance even so.
Tsitsipas has had a different kind of season. The Greek has needed time to recover from off-season elbow surgery and we still have not seen him at his best in 2022. If there was ever a time for it, tomorrow evening in Miami might be it.
Tsitsipas, who improved to 17-6 on the season with a straight sets win over Alex de Minaur, says he’ll be ready to fight.
“I’m going to try and fight,” Tsitsipas said after his win over De Minaur on Monday night in Miami. “He’s a great player. For me it is going to be a big challenge to step out on the court. I like these kinds of challenges. I’m going to put my soul out there and give it my all.”
The rest of the men’s quarterfinals are set at Miami – here’s how they shape up: