Alcaraz leads pack searching for maiden major title in New York
The then 18-year-old rocketed to tennis stardom a year ago when he beat third-seeded Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas in the third round on his way to becoming the youngest man to reach the quarter-final at Flushing Meadows. He retired in the quarters against young Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime but had already earned his reputation as one of the fiercest competitors among tennis's next generation.


