A straight-sets statement: Carlos Alcaraz powers into US Open quarterfinals

Carlos Alcaraz won his Round 4 match at the US Open with a straightforward victory over France's Arthur Rinderknech, 7-6(3), 6-3, 6-4, to book his spot in the tournament quarterfinals. The Spaniard now has 10 consecutive wins and is still in the running for his second US Open title, having previously lifted the trophy in 2022.

The world No. 2 also keeps his chance of reaching the world No. 1 ranking alive. He'll just need to advance at least one round further than the current rankings leader, Jannik Sinner. His next challenge will be against the Czech player Jiri Lehecka, who defeated Adrian Mannarino in four sets earlier today.

A tiebreak test: Alcaraz edges out a gritty Rinderknech

Arthur Rinderknech was one of the biggest surprises in the US Open Round of 16, having defeated Spain's Roberto Carballes Baena and the 18th seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, in addition to beating France's Benjamin Bonzi in the third round. The 30-year-old was making his first-ever appearance this far into a major and put on a great performance against Alcaraz on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

The Frenchman served first and managed to keep a slight edge throughout. Despite a poor 49% first-serve percentage, he maintained a 95% effectiveness on those points, similar to Alcaraz, who only had a 47% first-serve percentage but a 94% effectiveness. Neither player had a single break opportunity, and after more than 50 minutes, everything came down to a tiebreak. Alcaraz's class was the key, and he ended up taking the set 7-6(3), despite the minimal differences in performance.

Alcaraz puts away the second set

It only took Alcaraz gaining a small advantage for him to get an emotional boost for the second set. In fact, the Spaniard won his first three service games at love before getting the first break of the match in the sixth game. "Carlitos" went up 4-2 and for the first time in the match, he faced a couple of break points, though Rinderknech couldn't convert them.

Alcaraz held on to his serve before closing out the set 6-3. In this set, he looked much more solid than his opponent, with 15 winners and only 3 unforced errors compared to Rinderknech's 6 winners and 5 unforced errors. Alcaraz's clean play earned him the set in 37 minutes.

Alcaraz closes it out: A late break seals the match

In the third set, Rinderknech had to fight to stay in the match, saving a break point early on. From the return game, there was little the Frenchman could do, as he watched Alcaraz easily hold his service games.

Still, the set reached 4-4 without any breaks, but nerves got the better of Rinderknech in the final stretch. The Frenchman gave up a couple of break opportunities, and Alcaraz didn't miss his chance, getting the late break and serving out the match for a 7-6(3), 6-3, 6-4 victory.

It was a remarkable performance from the 5-time Grand Slam champion, who has shown this season that he can be just as effective on serve as any of the game's best servers. Throughout the match, he won 85% of his first-serve points and 76% with his second, in addition to saving the only two break points he faced.

In the quarterfinals, he will face the Czech player Jiri Lehecka, who is playing in the US Open quarterfinals for the first time in his career. He is coming off a four-set victory over Adrian Mannarino. They have played each other three times before (with Alcaraz leading 2-1)—including a tight three-set victory for Alcaraz in the final of the Queen’s Club Championships in late June.

Match Statistics Rinderknech vs. Alcaraz