Carlos Alcaraz outlasts Jannik Sinner in epic 5-setter to make US Open semifinals

NEW YORK — This was a match that would not end. Should not end, one might say. Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, two of the brightest young stars of men's tennis, traded shots of the highest quality and countless momentum swings across five sterling sets for 5 hours, 15 minutes until Alcaraz finally won the last point at 2:50 a.m. Thursday, the latest finish in US Open history.

It was «only» a quarterfinal, no trophy at stake, yet was as taut a thriller as this tournament has produced or, likely, will, a tour de force of big cuts on the full sprint and plenty of guts, a 6-3, 6-7 (7), 6-7 (0), 7-5, 6-3 victory for the No. 3-seeded Alcaraz, a 19-year-old from Spain.

«Honestly,» said Alcaraz, who saved a match point in the fourth set at Arthur Ashe Stadium, «I still don't know how I did it.»

He also used words such as «unbelievable» and «amazing.» No hyperbole there.

«This one will hurt for quite a while,» said No. 11 Sinner, a 21-year-old from Italy. «But tomorrow, I will wake up — or today, I will wake up — trying to somehow [take away] only the positives.»

When the 382nd, and final, point was over, Sinner and Alcaraz hugged each other. A handshake at the net would not suffice.

Alcaraz, whose five-set victory over 2014 US Open champion Marin Cilic ended at 2:23 a.m. Tuesday, reached his first Grand Slam semifinal and is the youngest man to get that far at the US Open since Pete Sampras won the title at 19 in 1990. Alcaraz, who has a chance to move up to No. 1 in the rankings next week, will face No. 22 Frances Tiafoe of the United States on Friday. The other men's semifinal that day is No. 5 Casper Ruud of Norway vs. No. 27 Karen Khachanov of Russia.

This match began Wednesday evening at about 9:35 p.m. and easily