Carlos Alcaraz has been a happy camper at this year's US Open. World no. 2 defeated four rivals in straight sets to advance to his 13th Major quarter-final, his fourth from five trips to New York.
Carlos will face Jiri Lehecka, the 23-year-old who is enjoying his career-best US Open. The Spaniard is well aware of the challenge ahead, losing to Lehecka once this year and struggling against him.
Alcaraz praised his next rival and his blend of great serve and groundstrokes. He expects and entertaining duel while preparing his tactic based on what worked for him in their previous encounters.
The Spaniard and the Czech met in the Queen's final in June. Carlos prevailed 7-5, 6-7, 6-2 in two hours and eight minutes for his second crown at the prestigious grass-court event.
The El Palmar native had to dig deep to secure his 18th victory in a row, with Lehecka pushing him to the limits in the opening two sets. World no. 2 grabbed the opener with a late break.
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Jiri fought well in the second set and clinched it in the tie break to force a decider and extend his chances. However, Alcaraz took charge and delivered two breaks to emerge at the top and improve their H2H to 2-1.
Earlier, they met in Doha in February, with Lehecka earning a notable 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 victory in two hours and nineminutes. The Spaniard had the match in his hands, moving 4-2 up in the decider and creating a break chance in game seven.
However, Jiri denied it and turned the tables in an impressive style, rattling off four games and celebrating one of his career-best wins. The Czech will seek another at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Tuesday.
Carlos should be the favorite, but he knows it will not be easy against an aggressive and dangerous opponent.
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"Jiri is really strong. He has a similar style to Rinderknech, but with more consistency and a mixture of a great serve and groundstrokes. I struggle every time I play against him. He is challenging to play against, and it will be an interesting match.
We have played twice this year and split wins. I have to examine what I did well and wrong in those matches to prepare for the match in the best way," Carlos Alcaraz said.
