Carlos Alcaraz defeats Jannik Sinner in 'unbelievable match' to reach US Open semi-finals

Carlos Alcaraz kept alive his bid for a first Grand Slam title after coming through a remarkable US Open quarter-final against fellow rising star Jannik Sinner on Wednesday night.

Alcaraz, seeded third and one of the pre-tournament favourites in New York, demonstrated precisely why he is regarded as the future of men's tennis with a 6-3, 6-7, 6-7, 7-5, 6-3 victory over Italian 11th seed Sinner.

It earned the 19-year-old Spaniard a measure of revenge after losing to Sinner, 21, in their previous two encounters this year, but he was on the brink of a third successive defeat and needed to save match point in the fourth set.

After another enthralling encounter between these two talented youngsters, an exciting on-court rivalry is developing, which suggests men's tennis should be in safe hands in the post-Big Three era when Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer ultimately hang up their racquets.

"Honestly, I still don't know I did it," said Alcaraz, who will face Frances Tiafoe in the semi-finals after the American enjoyed a comparative breeze in his straight-sets win over Andrey Rublev. "It was a high quality and unbelievable match. Jannik is a great player. His level is just amazing.

"I always say that you have to believe in yourself all the time. Hope is the last thing that you lose. I just believed in myself and believed in my game."

The 5hr 15min duel finished at 2.50am local time, making it the latest ever finish in the tournament's 141-year history. The previous record for the latest finish to a US Open match was 2.26am, which had been set three times before. But for the few thousand spectators who stuck it out inside Arthur Ashe Stadium, it was worth every minute of staying up past their bed times.

It was a