By Alberto Amalfi | Tuesday, August 23, 2022
Carlos Alcaraz rocked Arthur Ashe Stadium last summer with his US Open break-out performance.
Nick Kyrgios believes Alcaraz will achieve even bigger things in New York next month.
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Wimbledon finalist Kyrgios picked Alcaraz to win the US Open on his Instagram stories.
Responding to a Eurosport poll listing leading US Open contenders and asking to pick a winner, Kyrgios posted "Alcaraz" as his US Open pick.
Riding his crackling topspin forehand and an audacious drop shot, Alcaraz stunned third-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(2), 0-6, 7-6(5) in a coming-of-age US Open third-round conquest last summer.
The 18-year-old Spaniard made history as the youngest man to defeat a Top-3 US Open seed since 1973—and the youngest man to reach the round of 16 in Flushing Meadows since a 17-year-old Michael Chang and 18-year-old Pete Sampras did it back in 1989. Alcaraz went on to become the youngest men’s quarterfinalist at the US Open in the Open Era and at any Grand Slam since Chang, 18, at the 1990 Roland Garros.
Though Alcaraz lost to Tommy Paul in Montreal and fell to Cameron Norrie in Cincinnati last week, Kyrgios holds the Spanish teenager's skills in high regard.
Kyrgios, who swept singles and doubles championships in Washington, DC, earlier this month, seems to be enjoying himself in New York City the week before the US Open begins.
The Australian Open doubles champion posted this video of him riding near Times Square with a playbill from the popular Broadway show "The Book of Mormon" in his hand.
Photo credit: Garrett Ellwood/US Open/USTA