Carlos Alcaraz had little trouble beating unseeded Matteo Arnaldi 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 on Monday to reach the US Open quarterfinals, the third time in as many appearances he’s gotten at least that far at Flushing Meadows.
The No. 1-seeded Alcaraz, who is seeking to defend his title after winning Wimbledon in July, said afterward that he now prefers hard courts over any other surface and also likes playing under the Arthur Ashe Stadium roof.
He enjoyed both against the 61st-ranked Arnaldi, an Italian who proved little match for Alcaraz’s power, which produced 31 winners.
By advancing to the round of eight, the 20-year-old Spaniard became the youngest player to reach three US Open quarterfinals in the open era that dates to 1968 and the only player other than Andre Agassi to do so before turning 21.
Alcaraz next faces the winner of the night match on Ashe between sixth-seeded Jannik Sinner and No. 12-seeded Alexander Zverev.
Elsewhere, Kiwi Erin Routliffe and Canadian partner Gaby Dabrowski also advanced to the quarterfinals in the women's doubles.
Routliffe and Dabrowski were scheduled to play Marketa Vondrousova and Barbora Strycova this morning for the spot however Vondrousova also had a fourth round match in the women's singles against Peyton Stearns to play before their clash.
While Vondrousova managed to win the match 6-7 6-3 6-2 in two hours and 10 minutes, video surfaced soon after of her crying in the locker room afterwards with ice on her elbow while Strycova comforted her.
The emotional scene was likely due to Vondrousova needing to pull out of the doubles match despite Strycova - a two-time doubles major winner at Wimbledon, including earlier this year - announcing prior to the US Open that she would retire after one last run at Flushing Meadows.
The walkover means in the quarterfinals Dabrowski and Routliffe will play against Leylah Fernandez from Canada and the USA’s Taylor Townsend.
- Additional reporting by the Associated Press
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