ATP Tour
Alcaraz drops serve, takes medical timeout, but storms into US Open R4

Spaniard faces Rinderknech next

August 29, 2025

Carlos Alcaraz owns a Tour-leading 57 wins and six titles in 2025.

TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images

Carlos Alcaraz owns a Tour-leading 57 wins and six titles in 2025.
By Jerome Coombe

Carlos Alcaraz suffered the first mid-match wobble of his US Open campaign on Friday, but he nonetheless refound his rhythm to defeat Luciano Darderi 6-2, 6-4, 6-0 and reach the fourth round.

Leading by a set and 4-1, Alcaraz lost serve for the first time this week and was pulled into a second-set battle, during which he appeared to land awkwardly after a serve. The 22-year-old Spaniard took a medical timeout at 5-4 to receive treatment on his right knee, but reeled off the following seven games to regain control and race through a one-hour, 44-minute victory.

“I’m feeling good, it was just a precaution that I asked for the physio,” Alcaraz said when asked about the medical timeout. “When he broke my serve, in the last point I felt something in the knee, but after five or six points it was gone. I just asked the physio to take care of the knee, so I had to be feeling good. I am going to talk to my team about it, but I’m feeling good.”

Alcaraz, who won his first major title at the US Open in 2022, remains on track to meet four-time winner Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals. For now, though, Alcaraz faces a fourth-round clash with Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech, who rallied past countryman Benjamin Bonzi 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-2. Alcaraz leads Rinderknech 3-0 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

Despite his brief lapse in the second set, Alcaraz was ruthless in all departments, particularly the forehand-to-forehand exchanges that were prevalent throughout the clash. In the second set, however, Darderi produced some moments of magic of his own, including winning an epic all-court point that ended with a stunning drop volley that caught Alcaraz out to tee up two break points, eventually converting the second.

“I just tried to start awake, that was important,” said Alcaraz. “Starting at 11:30 a.m. is not a schedule that I’m used to playing, so my first goal is to start well, to start focused. I think I started really well, pushing him to the limit, playing long rallies, and after that kept it going.

“I’m not a [morning] person. For me, it’s difficult to wake up in the mornings, so that’s a good thing today that I woke up early, I did the warmup well, played good… It seems like I’m a Spanish guy!”

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With a Tour-leading 57 wins and six titles in 2025, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, Alcaraz is on the heels of fierce rival Jannik Sinner for the No. 1 spot in the PIF ATP Rankings. The Spaniard could reclaim that position for the first time since September 2023 if he matches or betters Sinner’s result in New York.

Sinner, defending champion and unbeaten at the hard-court majors since 2023, is in the top half of the draw and could only face Alcaraz in the championship match.