By Richard Pagliaro | Saturday, September 3, 2022
Carlos Alcaraz swept Jenson Brooksby 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 to become the youngest man to reach the US Open fourth round in back-to-back years since Pete Sampras in 1989-90.
Photo credit: Getty
NEW YORK—Playing before home fans, Jenson Brooksby found no safe space facing Carlos Alcaraz.
Five games into the second set, the 21-year-old Brooksby finally had Alcaraz right where he wanted him—backpedaling and on the defensive.
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On the retreat, Alcaraz flicked a topspin forehand to extend the point then spun a clean backhand pass that stuck to the sideline like metal to a magnet.
Even going backward, Alcaraz kept pushing forward.
The third-seeded Alcaraz swept the final six straight games outclassing Brooksby 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 on Arthur Ashe Stadium in a statement win for the explosive young Spaniard.
"I played really really well," Alcaraz told ESPN's Brad Gilbert in his on-court interview afterward. "High level high intensity. I knew it was going to be a tough match. Brooksby is a really tough opponent. I'm really happy with my performance today I am going to keep going."
The 19-year-old Alcaraz became the youngest man to reach the US Open fourth round in back-to-back years since Hall of Famer Pete Sampras in 1989-90. This was a highly-anticipated showdown between two rising young stars, but Alcaraz exuded more dynamic athleticism and a deeper mastery of the shot spectrum dominating stretches of the match.
Generating offense against Alcaraz proved problematic for Brooksby, who took a set from Novak Djokovic at the 2021 US Open. A bigger problem: Alcaraz's twisting topspin forehand was much more damaging today. Alcaraz cracked 46 winners in three sets—to 10 total winners for Brooksby. Alcaraz often commanded the center of the court firing 23 forehand winners compared to two for Brooksby.
The third-seeded Alcaraz lashed a backhand return winner down the line breaking for a 3-2 second-set lead. The Miami Open champion confirmed the break at 15 for 4-2.
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The depth of Alcaraz's game was on display with a spinning volley winner he knifed to hold for 5-2. When Brooksby stuck a running forehand into the middle of the net, Alcaraz broke for a two-set lead after 90 minutes of play.
The feisty Brooksby exudes intensity as naturally as some shed sweat. Barking at himself between points, Brooksby drew an errant forehand from Alcaraz scoring his second break of the match to start the third set.
In a stirring 17-shot circus rally, Brooksby fell on the seat of his shorts striking a high smash, got up to tap another overhead, then scrambled back to the baseline where he belted a backhand pass down the line. That superb sequence helped the American hold for 3-0 and reignited the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd.
Unfazed by the uprising, Alcaraz recovered one break and then it was off to the races. Alcaraz won two of the final six games at love and a third at 15 elevating his play to a level the American could not match.
"Brooksby, I would say he increased his level at the beginning of the third set," Alcaraz said. "I knew I was going to have my chances in the third set. I knew he was going to get down a little bit his level and had to take my opportunity in the third set.
"I was there all the time and yeah I make my opportunity in the third set."
The electric athleticism and eclectic shot selection the 19-year-old Spaniard owns was on display as he sifted a sliding sliding backhand half-volley winner holding for 2-3.
When Alcaraz wasn't busy blasting the ball, he was beating up his equipment with his physicality and "no ball is beyond reach" mentality. Alcaraz scored his second straight break for 3-all and then took a timeout to change his "broken" Nike shoes after a six-foot slide across the blue hard-court left a gash behind.
"It would be the third time I broke the shoes," Alcaraz said. "I slide a lot as you can see. The shoes get broke a lot and yeah, it's something I change a lot. As you can see I run a lot and I try to get all the balls and it's normal for me."
The Miami Open and Madrid champion stands shoulder-to-shoulder with second-seeded Rafael Nadal leading the ATP Tour with four titles this season.
Next up for Alcaraz is either former US Open champion Marin Cilic or 20th-seeded Briton Daniel Evans.