An unforced error in an otherwise routine hold for Tiafoe. Ok, I’ll stop the fashion commentary for a while. And here is Alcaraz in an orange shirt with white sleeves, white shoulders and a white back. Photo: Robert Deutsch/USA Today Sports Alcaraz 2-2 Tiafoe* (* – denotes next server) Are these guys wearing identical shirts? It’s not entirely obvious why the backs are white, while the fronts are mostly orange. I definitely just saw Joel McHale. Alcaraz keeps love. We don’t need to elaborate much here. Big servers win their serves. Frances Tiafoe is in an orange shirt with white sleeves, white shoulders and a white back. Photo: Julian Finney/Getty Images Alcaraz 1-2 Tiafoe ( – denotes next server) While I was listing celebrities, Tiafoe scored the first three points of the game. After that, a big effort goes awry, but Tiafoe holds with a forehand winner. Alcaraz 1-1 Tiafoe* (* – denotes next server) Alcaraz hits deep in these rallies. Very deep. Twice. 15-30. But the Spaniard wins the next rally, and Tiafoe’s cross-court effort returns to 30-30 as soon as it goes out. The next serve cannot be returned, and that’s it. Michelle Obama sits with Jill Vedder’s (Eddie’s wife), says rock fan John McEnroe. Tennis legend Stan Smith sits next to retired NFL Wide Receiver Larry Fitzgerald. This would be an amazing dinner. Alcaraz 0-1 Tiafoe ( – denotes next server) Tiafoe needs his second serve on the first point and Alcaraz makes quick work of it. Tiafoe lands the next two, forcing errors with each. Next: A spot with more angles than a 12-sided die, ending with an Alcaraz shot in which Hawk-eye shows that a tiny, tiny, very small piece of the ball caught the line. Tiafoe responds with a solid winner, but gets sidestepped on the next point for the duo. The next two points, however, are won with well-placed, powerful serves. Tiafoe holds his nerve and holds serve. Tiafoe will serve. He smiles. Here you go … Pre-fight interviews: Tiafoe has a lot of respect for Alcaraz. Well yes. Valid question for Alcaraz: How do you feel after more than nine hours on the field this week? “There is no time to be tired,” he says with a smile. Hoops wear… There’s still no sign we’re getting any closer to that match. So how is everyone doing today? We haven’t seen any player recommendations yet. Maybe Alcaraz is getting a well-deserved nap? Who is No. 1? Current No. 1 Daniil Medvedev surrendered the top spot when he lost in the round of 16 to Nick Kyrgios. No. 2 Alexander Zverev is not competing in New York due to injury. We know Rafael Nadal won’t be back at the top of the rankings thanks to Tiafoe’s win over the 36-year-old Spaniard in the round of 16 here. If Alcaraz wins, he will be the youngest ever to be No. 1. If he loses here, Casper Ruud will be the first Norwegian to top the rankings. (These figures are from the ATP Tour itself.) Ruud defeated Karen Khachanov this evening in a tight three-hour match to reach the final, so if Alcaraz wins tonight, it will be one of those rare head-to-head matches that decide the king of the mountain. Jon Bon Jovi checked out the Ruud-Khachanov fight earlier today. Photo: Frey/TPN/Getty Images Are you ready for a matchup of an unstoppable force against a man who has spent more time on the court this week than many of us have at work? Frances Tiafoe of the USA! USA! USA! (brand Guardian commentators) bringing his unbridled enthusiasm to Arthur Ashe Stadium is again Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz, who got here by winning a quarter-final match that lasted 5 hours and 15 minutes. It was his second straight five-set, following a round of 16 match that lasted nearly four hours. Alcaraz, a rising star at 19, is ranked fourth in the world. Tiafoe is 26th. But Tiafoe will have home court and has won the only match between the two – a clay-court encounter in 2021 in Barcelona. Beau will be here soon. Meanwhile, here’s Tumaini Carayol’s look back at Carlos Alcaraz’s epic quarter-final win over Jannik Sinner.
