Tennis: Alcaraz, firm and without wear

Carlos Alcaraz continues to stick to the best plan to defend the title at the US Open: no extra time on the court because he feels discomfort in his left leg. Reaching an instance of the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam already implies another requirement. So the victory in straight sets by 6-3, 6-3 and 6-4 against the Italian Mateo Arnaldi in the round of 16 of the New York tournament is more than welcome because it took less than two hours. A much longer time than the one that was, for example, Andrey Rublev, another of those who obtained a place in the quarterfinals. The Russian eliminated the British, Jack Draper, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 and 6-4 in two hours and 45 minutes of play. The quarterfinals between Novak Djokovic and the American Taylor Fritz are scheduled for today. And the other two local hopes will face each other: Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton. The Argentine duo formed by Máximo González and Andrés Molteni will also seek a place in the semifinals of the doubles tournament. The man from Tandil and Buenos Aires, fifth in the seeding, will face Rajeev Ram from the United States and Joe Salisbury from England, located in third place to win the tournament.