Carlos Alcaraz made jaws drop with his blistering play; Frances Tiafoe made fans roar by staying with him for as long as he could

NEW YORK—Normally, after a match in Arthur Ashe Stadium, we only hear from the winner. But when Carlos Alcaraz finally subdued Frances Tiafoe, 6-7 (6), 6-3, 6-1, 6-7 (5), 6-3 in their semifinal on Friday night, ESPN broke protocol and talked to the man who lost the match as well.

The change was warranted, considering how hard Tiafoe had to fight, and how well he had to play, and how many balls he had to watch go screaming past him, just to squeak through two tiebreakers by the slimmest of margins. For the better part of two weeks, Tiafoe electrified the New York crowd. He recorded his biggest win, over Rafael Nadal, and made U.S. tennis fans remember what it looks and sounds like to have a deep US Open run on the men’s side. He had earned a few words with the fans before he made his exit.

“I gave everything I had,” Tiafoe said. “This one really, really hurts.”

“Too good from Carlos tonight.”

What could anyone say, except “too good from Carlos tonight”? Alcaraz has been among the world’s best all year, but in his last three wins, over Marin Cilic, Jannik Sinner and Tiafoe—all of which went five sets and ended after midnight—the Spanish teen has raised his game to a maniacally high level, to the point where he looks like he’s playing in fast-forward. In a way, he is: Alcaraz vs. Tiafoe and Alcaraz vs. Sinner gave us a preview of the blistering pace that the game will likely be played at over the next decade.

“The tennis definitely matched the hype of the match,” Tiafoe said. “Unbelievable shot-making, gets, extending points, crazy shots at crazy times.”

“I would have loved to win tonight, but I think tennis won tonight.”

Tennis—and Carlos Alcaraz, who is into his first major final. Against Tiafoe, his sneakers sounded like car tires making a hard turn, and much of the time he seemed to be moving that fast. He had 59 winners and 37 errors. He was 32 of 42 at net, and created 20 break chances, nine of which he converted.

He’s going to be a problem for a very long time. Frances Tiafoe on Carlos Alcaraz

After playing 10 sets in the previous four days, Alcaraz wasted no time pulling the trigger or charging the net. At first, that risk-taking made him erratic, but by the middle of the second set he had the rallies well in hand. Tiafoe tried to stay with him, tried to match his shot-making and his speed and his energy, but eventually the errors began to creep in.

The match turned with Tiafoe serving at 2-3 and deuce. Tiafoe hit a drop volley that looked like it was going to go for a winner, until Alcaraz chased it down and put the ball in a difficult spot for Tiafoe, who aimed his next shot directly at the Spaniard and sent it long. The lesson was, never drop-volley Carlos Alcaraz, wherever he is on the court. It was a lesson that came a little too late for Tiafoe. He was broken, and Alcaraz was off to the races.

“He’s so young. He hits the ball so hard. I never played a guy who moves as well as him, honestly,” Tiafoe said. “I was hitting some drop volleys that I’ve been hitting. He’s getting there. How he’s able to extend points, incredible.”

“He’s going to be a problem for a very long time.”

If Alcaraz’s level was jaw-dropping, so was Tiafoe’s ability to keep finding ways to push back. By the early stages of the fourth set, Alcaraz looked like a runaway train, but Tiafoe somehow brought him to a halt. Down match point, he escaped with a side-spinning re-drop that even Alcaraz could only stare at in amazement. In the fourth-set tiebreaker, Tiafoe hung on for dear life and watched as Alcaraz missed a couple of shots by millimeters.

“It was a tough moment for me, losing that match [point] in that way,” Alcaraz said, “But I knew that I had to stay in the match, to stay calm, to stay playing well.”

In the fifth set, Tiafoe couldn’t withstand the barrage any longer. After breaking serve for 2-2, and bringing the crowd to its feet once more, Tiafoe cracked. He played a tired game and was broken at love. Alcaraz waited until the end to pull out his most spectacular shot of the night, a running forehand lob that landed, with a strange softness, an inch inside the baseline.

“I still had my looks,” Tiafoe said. “I still had my chances, so it shows where I’m at. But, you know, for him to be so young, being so poised in big moments, I take my hat off.”

Alcaraz has been on court for 20 hours at this Open. How does he feel? How do you think?

“I feel great right now,” he said. “I thought about a young man like 10 years ago dreaming for this moment right now.”

Win or lose on Sunday, it’s the first of many moments like this for him.