US Open: How Carlos Alcaraz bested Francis Tiafoe in Semi Finals

After all, his last two matches lasted a combined total of nearly 10 hours. And he would be up against Francis Tiafoe, a man enjoying the best run of his career until this point. 

To make matters worse, he would have the support of a partisan New York crowd behind him. In many ways, this was Tiafoe's match to lose. 

And lose he did. Despite having a match point in his grasp in the fourth set, Tiafoe's run at Flushing Meadows ended. 

And it was 18-year-old Alcaraz, widely seen as the next big thing in tennis, who stood tall in victory and is in with a chance of claiming not only his maiden Grand Slam but also the number one ranking. 

Not that the match was an easy one for either man. The first set went to a tiebreak, although both men had chances to break the other. 

But it was an error from Alcaraz that handed Tiafoe the advantage. A crucial double fault swung the momentum at a critical time, and 'Foe' took the first set. 

However, losing the first set only served to galvanise the Spaniards. He broke Tiafoe's serve in the second set, then grittily held his own to level things up. 1-1, and the ball was indeed in Alcaraz's court. 

And he knew it too. He started the third set by breaking Tiafoe to love as a hush descended on the stadium. Alcaraz broke twice more and claimed the set in 33 minutes, and suddenly victory was within his sight. 

It certainly helped that Tiafoe seemed stunned by the onslaught he faced. And the fourth set seemed headed for a similarly dull finish. 

But, just when Tiafoe seemed down for the count, he found one last ounce of fighting spirit within himself. 

He broke twice and dragged the set into a tiebreaker, which he duly won – his eighth tiebreak win of the tournament. And into a decider, we went. 

Tiafoe didn't have the best of starts, as he was broken once again by Alcaraz. A break back gave the Americans hope, but Alcaraz found another gear shortly after. 

He broke back, held serve to love and beat his opponent with several crisply hit winners. Tiafoe was understandably distraught after the match but saluted his much younger opponent. 

The American said Alcaraz would be a problem for a long time, an assessment that is hard to disagree with given his age and the fact that he is already so good. 

As for Tiafoe, this was a reminder of how quickly the world of tennis moves. The American bested Rafael Nadal in the previous rounds but found himself outdone by a younger opponent seen by many as Nadal's successor. 

Still, whatever happens in the final, fans who witnessed this match will take solace in knowing both men gave their all – and then some.