ATP Tour
All set, no sweat: Alcaraz stymies Lehecka for US Open SF spot

Spaniard has not dropped a set through five matches in New York

September 02, 2025

Carlos Alcaraz is on an 11-match winning streak.

Elsa/Getty Images

Carlos Alcaraz is on an 11-match winning streak.
By Jerome Coombe

Carlos Alcaraz extended his spotless US Open campaign with an ultra-clean quarter-final showing on Tuesday, dismissing Jiri Lehecka in style to stay in contention for his first hard-court major title since 2022.

The 22-year-old Spaniard hustled for a 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 victory to reach the semi-finals in New York without dropping a set. Into the last four at a hard-court major for the first time since the US Open in 2023, Alcaraz awaits four-time champion Novak Djokovic or last year’s finalist Taylor Fritz.

The dominant scoreline, however, doesn’t fully reflect the high-octane nature of their duel. Lehecka, one of just six men to defeat Alcaraz this season after winning their Doha clash in February, pressed the Spaniard to the brink in plenty of high-quality exchanges.

But that did nothing but fire up Alcaraz, who rose to the challenge with trademark flair, producing a dazzling array of drop volleys and audacious shotmaking that left the Czech struggling to keep pace. Alcaraz’s highlight reel included a remarkable back-to-the-net drop volley on the stretch to cap a physical 21-shot rally in the second set.

“I’m not, but sometimes when I go to the living room, my little brothers are watching my highlights, so I just sit down and watch them,” Alcaraz said with a smile when asked if he watches back his hot shots. “Everytime I watch my shots again, it reminds me [during] matches.”

Beyond the artistry, Alcaraz was imperious on serve, surrendering just seven of 45 points behind his first delivery and facing no break points during their one-hour, 56-minute quarter-final clash.

With a Tour-leading 59 wins and six titles in 2025, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, Alcaraz looks in good stead to better his career-best tally of 65 wins and six trophies from 2023.

With the No. 1 spot in the PIF ATP Rankings also up for grabs this week, Alcaraz ramped up the pressure on fierce rival Jannik Sinner. If he can match or better the defending champion’s result in New York, he will climb to World No. 1 for the first time since September 2023.

“If I think about the No. 1 spot too much, I’m going to put pressure on myself, and I just don’t want to do that,” Alcaraz said. “I just want to step on court, try to do my things, follow my goals and try to enjoy as much as I can. The No. 1 [spot] is there, but I try to not think about it too much.”

It All Adds Up

Alcaraz, who leads Sinner 9-5 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series, is seeded to meet the Italian in the final for a fifth consecutive tournament in which they have both featured in. Sinner takes on countryman Lorenzo Musetti in Wednesday evening’s quarter-final.

Despite defeat, Lehecka can reflect on a milestone campaign in New York, where he reached his second major quarter-final and rose six spots to No. 15 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings, ensuring his Top 20 debut on Monday.

Lehecka owns a 34-18 tour-level record this season, highlighted by winning his second ATP Tour title in Brisbane in January and reaching the final at Queen’s Club, where he was defeated by Alcaraz in three sets.