Alcaraz, Medvedev survive brutal day

NEW YORK – Top seed Carlos Alcaraz defeated Alexander Zverev in straight sets on Wednesday to cruise into the US Open semifinals and keep his title defense on track.

The Spaniard will play third seed Daniil Medvedev on Friday for a place in the final after sweeping Zverev aside 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 in another clinical performance.

Soaked with sweat as the temperature neared 95 degrees Fahrenheit (35 Celsius) on the hottest day at this year’s US Open, Medvedev, meanwhile, walked slowly to towel off between points of his victory Wednesday, looked into a courtside camera and issued what sounded like a mix between a warning and a plea.

“You cannot imagine,” he said. “One player (is) gonna die, and they’re gonna see.”

“The only thing that is a little bit, let’s call it dangerous, is that the question is: How far could we go?” Medvedev, a 27-year-old Russian seeded No. 3, said after eliminating Andrey Rublev 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 to reach the semifinals.

An AP analysis shows that it is feeling hotter and hotter at Grand Slam tournaments in recent decades, reflecting the climate change seen in heat waves around the globe.

Alcaraz was not at his spectacular best but dominated at critical moments with Zverev perhaps feeling the effects of a 4hr, 41min outing in the Last 16 in the tournament’s longest match so far.

The world No. 1 converted all four of his break points, while Zverev failed to take any of his five chances.

“I’m feeling really comfortable playing on this court, playing in New York,” said Alcaraz, who has dropped just one set en route to the last four.

“I’m feeling strong. I think I’m ready for a great battle against Medvedev.”