Spanish second seed is the only man yet to concede a set at the tournament
\n NEW YORK
\nCarlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic can set up a heavyweight clash at the US Open on Tuesday, while Aryna Sabalenka aims to take another stride towards defending her title.
\nSpanish second seed Alcaraz is the only man yet to concede a set at the tournament as he goes in search of a second US Open title and sixth Grand Slam.
\nThe 22-year-old takes on Czech 20th seed Jiri Lehecka, who is in the quarter-finals of a major for only the second time.
\n\u201cAgainst a player like Carlos you need to bring your best,\u201d said Lehecka. \u201cHe\u2019s one of the two biggest challenges right now in tennis.\u201d
\nLehecka defeated Alcaraz in Doha in their only meeting on hard courts, with the Spaniard getting the better of the Czech in another three-set tussle at Queen\u2019s in June.
\nThe winner of that match will face either 24-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic or Taylor Fritz, last year\u2019s US Open runner-up and only American man left in the draw.
\nHistory undoubtedly favours Djokovic as the Serbian star has won all 10 past meetings, but he will be on his guard against Fritz.
\n\u201cTaylor definitely is one of the guys that no doubt has a game, has a potential to be a Grand Slam winner,\u201d said Djokovic.
\n\u201cHe was playing finals here last year, so he was one match away, so there is no reason not to believe that he can make it. Hopefully not this year, but any other year is fine.\u201d
\nDjokovic is coming off his best performance of the fortnight against Jan-Lennard Struff but has shown signs wear and tear \u2014 an issue which has plagued the 38-year-old at Grand Slams of late.
\n\u201cHopefully the crowd is really going to get behind me now because I am the last (American) guy,\u201d said Fritz, the fourth seed.
\nNo woman has retained the title in New York since Serena Williams won three in a row from 2012 to 2014, but Sabalenka is revelling in the pressure of being the world\u2019s top-ranked player.
\n\u201cI think pressure is part of our lives, and I think pressure is normal,\u201d said Sabalenka.
\n\u201cI\u2019m enjoying being world number one. I\u2019m enjoying this pressure. I\u2019m working really hard to be where I am.
\n\u201cFor me, it\u2019s a fun life if you\u2019re really enjoying your job.\u201d
\nThe top seed takes on former Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova to kick off the night session in Arthur Ashe Stadium.
\nJessica Pegula, who lost to Sabalenka in last year\u2019s final, is first up on Tuesday against two-time major winner Barbora Krejcikova.
\nPegula said a night out with friends at an escape room helped her bring a relaxed approach into the US Open following a rotten run of form.
\n\u201cI felt terrible coming into this tournament, honestly,\u201d said Pegula.
\n\u201cWent and did an escape room with my friends and had, like, two drinks and was, like, I need to just chill and stop getting so frustrated and overthinking all these practices.\u201d
\nKrejcikova pulled off one of the great escape acts by saving eight match points against Taylor Townsend in the last 16.
\nThe Czech had wondered if she would ever play tennis again after missing the opening months of the season with a back injury.
\n\u201cJust four months ago I was off the court, I couldn\u2019t play, I couldn\u2019t practice, I didn\u2019t know if I will ever be back,\u201d said Krejcikova.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Spanish second seed is the only man yet to concede a set at the tournament NEW YORK Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic can set up a heavyweight clash at the US Open on Tuesday, while Aryna Sabalenka aims to take another stride towards defending her title. Spanish second seed Alcaraz is the only man yet […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-500757","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n