AO 2024 QF - (2.) Carlos Alcaraz vs. (6.) Alexander Zverev

[Nostradamus]

here is expert review

 

[albertobra]

What an absolutely nauseating result.

If Chainman serves this way, be prepared for more.

 

[chuckersthenut]

now watch, he gonna go in the semis and lay a Egg against Medvedev

W/O

 

[tennisjedi]

Unreal serving performance from Zed.

He has a good chance of reaching the final. With Med being tired, this is his best shot.

 

[Move]

If Zverev keeps playing like he did today (quality serving, playing aggressive & coming forward) he will become a top 3 player again

 

[beltsman]

He's only 20! A bad loss is Rafa losing to Stan at the AO final or 2019 Wimbledon for Roger. This is a QF of a slam, not a final, and he was never even close to winning it. Carlos will probably win the AO multiple times in his career.

But any time Zedrot wins, it's definitely bad, I agree on that.

You're right about all of that. I mean, as a compliment to Alcaraz, that he shouldn't be losing in QFs to Z, even at 20.

 

[Djokovic_is_the_best#1]

Unreal serving performance from Zed.

He has a good chance of reaching the final. With Med being tired, this is his best shot.

They both tired though. Meddy has the edge due to BH exchanges. However, if Zverev serves well again and hits his FH like that he has a solid chance.

 

[albertobra]

.

 

[tenisdecente]

Just because the persecution is suffering Z for the off-court issues, I am in his side in this tournament. And I am an ABZ member for life.

Honestly, the journalists asking him questions about off court incidents which BTW are in the hands of justice with a trial scheduled, makes me cringe. They are sport journalists and they are not to put the finger in the wound when nobody authorized them to do that. Let the justice handle that matter and you focus in the sport. And BTW I am TIRED of the all non-faulty, self righteous, perfect people who already condemned Zverev (Kasatkina, for example). Maybe he is guilty after all, but as I said let the justice do its duties.

It's mostly contrarian thinking - there are a bunch of people backing Zverev because:
- They were sick of the Alcaraz hype and felt he needed to be brought back down to earth again
- They feel more confident in Med / Sinner / Djoko facing Zverev rather than the unpredictable Alcaraz
- They see it as a win against the "self-righteous" brigade (relating to Zverev's questionable off court activity)

There are some who have Zverev here as a top 2 or 3 favourite for his game alone, which does look good when he is clicking to be fair. The last pure Zverev fans on here were @Zebrev and @Meles who have not been seen for a while

I could not care less about the Alcaraz arrogance and his big as shEEt hype. I care more about the third group of people, who make me puke

Sinner and "tough" do not belong in the same sentence

Janni got tilted by Tiafoe, he's no match for Screaming Lord Sutch

trololololol

 

[mightyjeditribble]

Zed will crush bh and serve 80% 1st serve and then lose in straights to med who takes out sinner in 5

Sounds legit.

 

[Mike Sams]

You're right about all of that. I mean, as a compliment to Alcaraz, that he shouldn't be losing in QFs to Z, even at 20.

Excuse me????
Put respect on the name of an Olympic gold medalist!
Even the great Novak wasn't able to win a gold medal all these years!

 

[Mike Sams]

The peak level of Z is something else! You just don't see this level of tennis from the new gen where they just eviscerate the ball from all parts of the court while serving bombs left and right. Novak got a taste of this at the Olympics which cost him the gold. The unfortunate thing is that this type of performance from Z has been expected for the past 6-7 years and he just hasn't produced it on the biggest stages.

 

[Mike Sams]

Unreal serving performance from Zed.

He has a good chance of reaching the final. With Med being tired, this is his best shot.

Is Med tired? Because I remember Z coming into the Alcaraz match while also being "tired" from that 5 setter.

 

[Mike Sams]

It's a major bummer that Zed made it through. A lot of the suspense for the final went away when Alcaraz was eliminated. The semi between Sinner and Djoker is intriguing. I think that the whole world wants to see how Sinner will do in his very first hard court slam semi. People forget that Sinner pushed Alcaraz to 5 tough sets in the QF of the 2022 USO. Sinner has improved a ton since then. Of course, he has the ultimate challenge on hard courts coming up in a couple of days.

I'm rooting for Sinner to win it all. But if he doesn't win, then I'll root for Djoker to bag #25 so that he can end this talk about Court.

Alcaraz hasn't beaten Djokovic on hardcourts yet. Lost in Cincy and in the SF of the WTF Finals.
Alcaraz has more work to do because a lot of the top players are handling him on hards lately including Zverev, Medvedev, and Sinner.
I almost feel Alcaraz is going to do most of the damage on clay and grass. Less on hards.

 

[Move]

The peak level of Z is something else! You just don't see this level of tennis from the new gen where they just eviscerate the ball from all parts of the court while serving bombs left and right. Novak got a taste of this at the Olympics which cost him the gold. The unfortunate thing is that this type of performance from Z has been expected for the past 6-7 years and he just hasn't produced it on the biggest stages.

If he starts repeating this level he will make and win Slam Finals. He has been in the same situation as Carlos 6 years ago (age 20 being hailed as the next tennis superhero)
I also liked how he kept his composure during the match. no yelling, cursing etc. 4th set he stuck to his gameplan and stayed aggressive. It could have been over in 3 sets

 

[Mike Sams]

Alcaraz seems to get himself into a hole early. Lot of the top guys pounce on him which has been happening throughout the past several majors.
Got broken early by Djokovic at RG and Wimbledon and Alcaraz has to fight his way back in. Got into a hole against Med at USO and had to try to fight his way back. Again happened against Zverev. No doubt Alcaraz is a huge target on the tour. I think Hurcakz also could've been a tough outing for Alcaraz here at AO.

 

[Mike Sams]

Alcaraz wasn't battle hardened for the QF here. He had a light draw of pretenders and no real challenge until Zverev who, on the opposite side, went several 5 setters and had tough matches. Zverev looked ready for war right out the gate. Not to mention Zverev doesn't particularly like Alcaraz. I think Z had choice words about Alcaraz's hype all the way back in 2022 right before the RG. Zverev doesn't fear his game at all and seems like he wants to put Alcaraz in his place. Hoping Z keeps this mentality against everyone. Seek and destroy!

 

[Vincent-C]

Alcuck.. is a fckn cuck..

ATG! ATG!

 

[Vincent-C]

Alcaraz seems to get himself into a hole early. Lot of the top guys pounce on him which has been happening throughout the past several majors.
Got broken early by Djokovic at RG and Wimbledon and Alcaraz has to fight his way back in. Got into a hole against Med at USO and had to try to fight his way back. Again happened against Zverev. No doubt Alcaraz is a huge target on the tour. I think Hurcakz also could've been a tough outing for Alcaraz here at AO.

they're figuring tiny out. poor dear

 

[Vincent-C]

Medvedev wins the AO I’m sick

heh!

 

[Move]

Alcaraz wasn't battle hardened for the QF here. He had a light draw of pretenders and no real challenge until Zverev who, on the opposite side, went several 5 setters and had tough matches. Zverev looked ready for war right out the gate. Not to mention Zverev doesn't particularly like Alcaraz. I think Z had choice words about Alcaraz's hype all the way back in 2022 right before the RG. Zverev doesn't fear his game at all and seems like he wants to put Alcaraz in his place. Hoping Z keeps this mentality against everyone. Seek and destroy!

Battle-hardened sure made big difference. Carlos had the easiest draw and was not tested apart from a few sets in the Sonego match

 

[Move]

they're figuring tiny out. poor dear

If you hit big CC few times to the BH and draw a weak ball get him running on the FH, no time to set up the big one. Error will follow or another weak ball. Zverev has read the playbook made by Novak and Sinner, tons of rallies like this in the QF match

 

[Mark-Touch]

Well Alcaraz breaks. Can he somehow save this match.. lol

Oh no, Aussie Darcy, first Iga was thrashed and now Alcaraz is out. Ticket prices will plummet even more!
What a nightmare for the A.O. LOL!!!

 

[Vincent-C]

Alcaraz body language is really bad

He's a broken boy.

 

[top10]

Like USO Z Med were kept on Carlos side , it's a tough combo.

I thought Raz supporters were happy that Sinner is actually in the other half?

 

[Vincent-C]

tiny might not recover from this. I'd take Dave Ferrer as a player over him- way solider and tougher.

 

[pirhaksar]

You're right about all of that. I mean, as a compliment to Alcaraz, that he shouldn't be losing in QFs to Z, even at 20.

Zed when on is a formidable player. Great serve, can crush the ball and has great movement for his height. I keep thinking of Tokyo match vs Djokovic. When he does that he is truly elite level. Whether you like him or not should not matter.

 

[top10]

What bothers me is not that Carlitto is loosing but how bad is he loosing lately from Novak, Medvedev, Sinner, Dimitrov, Zverev etc.
I really hope that this is not mental…

 

[Jonesy]

I heard he is getting shorter.

 

[Vincent-C]

I heard he is getting shorter.

nice

 

[beltsman]

Zed when on is a formidable player. Great serve, can crush the ball and has great movement for his height. I keep thinking of Tokyo match vs Djokovic. When he does that he is truly elite level. Whether you like him or not should not matter.

Yes when Zed is on he is fantastic, but his FH is still a huge weakness that Alcaraz should NEVER fail to exploit. Alcaraz doesn't know how to dictate rallies.

 

[Vincent-C]

Yes when Zed is on he is fantastic, but his FH is still a huge weakness that Alcaraz should NEVER fail to exploit. Alcaraz doesn't know how to dictate rallies.

Maybe tiny will start running his mouth a little less now.

miracle

 

[Move]

What bothers me is not that Carlitto is loosing but how bad is he loosing lately from Novak, Medvedev, Sinner, Dimitrov, Zverev etc.
I really hope that this is not mental…

He is being figured out. Team needs to respond

 

[Move]

Lol at Zverev Dad's reaction when his son won. Ivan Lendl would approve it

 

[Midaso240]

What an absolute nightmare result, didn't see any of it but it's up to just Djokovic, Sinner and Medvedev to save tennis

 

[Vincent-C]

He is being figured out. Team needs to respond

jump ship.

 

[Djokovic_is_the_best#1]

jump ship.

They all aboard the carrot boy train now!

 

[Vincent-C]

It's scary to look at Alcaraz, he had the same dead look with Medvedev at USO.

it's a pity.

 

[Vincent-C]

They all aboard the carrot boy train now!

Me, too.

 

[Vincent-C]

We saw this happen at the previous slam vs Medvedev. Alcaraz is still inexperienced.

tiny's getting worse rather than better.

a pity

 

[Vincent-C]

Excuse me????
Put respect on the name of an Olympic gold medalist!
Even the great Novak wasn't able to win a gold medal all these years!

I wonder if Doping Control is tougher at the Olympics. That'd explain a number of curious results.

 

[Vincent-C]

Except the Coupe des Mousquetaires

Not even a Semi there, right?

 

[Mike Sams]

If you hit big CC few times to the BH and draw a weak ball get him running on the FH, no time to set up the big one. Error will follow or another weak ball. Zverev has read the playbook made by Novak and Sinner, tons of rallies like this in the QF match

Zverev beat Alcaraz at RG2022. He already knew how to beat him.

 

[Vincent-C]

Zverev beat Alcaraz at RG2022. He already knew how to beat him.

Alky's damn lucky he got to save a little face with that TB set.
The Field will be taking notice, I'm sure.

 

[Subway Tennis]

I can accept whomever winning the AO. Not a big Novak fan, but respect his GOATness and if he's going to add yet another Slam title, more power to him. I used to think 30 wasn't possible, but if he wins here, it may be. Sinner has the game to win and is "hot" but hasn't done it before and has to go through Novak. Great opportunity to announce himself as a Slam champion. And it would be interesting if he made the final beating Novak because I think a fair number of people would see him as the favorite (rightfully or not) and I wonder if he would feel any sort of added pressure. Zverev actually has the physical game to win as well, but I think we're all rightfully questioning whether he can combine a complete physical and mental effort at the same time. I see glimmers every once in a while, but I'm not confident about it. And Med. I like Med, and it would be cool if he could get a second Slam instead of having 5 Slam final losses vs. 1 win (assuming he makes the final and then loses). But he's already gassed and even if he beats Zverev, I don't think he can blow through him quickly to conserve energy. He's a pro athlete and he has a day of rest and recovery before the SF, but still.

Zverev has been fantastic. The only match I don’t trust him in is a major final. He is a bit like Tsitsipas. Way too many mental scars for that final hurdle to be clearable at this stage of his career.

 

[paolo2143]

I think in the end the scoreline flattered Alcaraz as he was literally 2 points away at 30-30 5-3 in 3rd set from being trounced 6-1 6-3 6-3.

If Zverev hadn't just got little tight it would have been an absolute beatdown.

Fair play to Carlos for his play in TB, but for first 2 sets he was like a little boy lost out there today.

 

[Eureka]

As a Carlos fan, I’m disappointed for him that he could not make it further at the AO this year. Yet even in this match when being utterly dominated by the Sasha serve for the most part, he re-grouped in the 3rd set, and took back the momentum to equalize after being down 5-2, winning the tiebreak in the 3rd set. The 4th set was competitive too. It takes enormous belief and conviction to pull back in such an uneven match- well done to him for the fight back. He is 20 years old with top drawer credentials in his career to date, getting to his first QF at the AO. Apparently, the ticket prices have dropped considerably, since this loss. Winning and losing are part and parcel of any players career, and I anticipate that Carlos will draw lessons from this loss and move on to play better. I look forward to it.

Turning to Sasha, what a superb performance by him after the challenges he faced in some of his earlier matches. He started strong and basically keep his foot on the throttle sufficiently to avoid the fifth set. After the awful injury he sustained and the slow road back to competing at this level again, well done to him for getting to the SF. The comms said that this is Sasha's biggest win to date in a GS – it was a special achievement to beat this remarkable 20 year old boy.

I enjoyed these clips:

Carlos’ cross court winner:

Nick Kyrgios’ and Nick Lester’s reactions to this rally in the tie break:

'He's a joke!' | Nick Kyrgios in commentary box for incredible Carlos Alcaraz rally

Nick Kyrgios marvelled at Carlos Alcarazs skills as he commentated on the Spaniards Australian Open match against Alexander Zverev. Sky TV subscribers get discovery+ Standard at no extra cost, just say get discovery+ into your voice remote.

www.skysports.com

 

[Rosstour]

Not even a Semi there, right?

I think he made one in 96

 

[Vincent-C]

I think he made one in 96

Thanks. Straight-setted (including a bagel) by Kafelnikov, it appears.

 

[Rina]

Nothing is surprising about Carlos losing. He was overhyped, but even the GOATovic won big at the beginning of his career and then struggled for years.