Was Carlos-Alcaraz vs Jannik Sinner the greatest next-gen match in history?

Most people are turning on the TV, eating dinner. Flicking the channels between reality TV, breaking news and sport. Some are watching videos on their mobile phones, There’s a kid from Spain playing on centre court that most people don’t know about. His name is Carlos Alcaraz, and he is absolutely obliterating records. The 3rd Youngest player in history to enter the top 10. The first 18 year old to win a big title (Miami) since Nadal. 2nd longest US Open match in history. Latest ever US Open finish. The list keeps rolling on and on and on.

However early this morning’s US Open quarterfinal was officially the beginning of a new era post-big 3. In the past (when we had next-gen only encounters), the young guys had failed to recreate the kind of matches that were the staple of rivalries between the big 4. However, Alcaraz opened a can of worms and put on display one of the most emphatic victories at grand slams ever. Alcaraz was initially well on top of this match, but a mental lapse in the second set gifted Sinner the set. Equally, when he served for the 3rd set, he lost his serve, and then went on to lose every single point of the 3rd set tiebreak. What had seemed so surely a 2-sets-to-love lead by Alcaraz quickly evaporated and became a 2-sets- to-1 lead by Jannik Sinner.

However, what Alcaraz managed to do from that point on in crucial moments was nothing short of out of this world. In the 4th set, he was finally at the brink of death. The grim reaper arrived right behind Alcaraz, breathing down his neck and waiting to put his axe through his body- but Alcaraz managed to kill the grim reaper as he approached impending death on match point. Alcaraz then managed to win the 4th set and push the match to 2 sets all. Even after being down a break in the 4th set around the 2.30am mark, Alcaraz never went down. Sinner drew blow after blow, when he was in front, but Alcaraz counterpunched ever harder from a losing position. Finally, after 5 and a quarter hours, Alcaraz produced a match point: something which arrived for Sinner almost 3 hours prior.

All in all, Alcaraz is something we have all never ever witnessed before in history. At just 19 years of age, he has a chance this week of securing the world number 1 ranking. Earlier this year. at 18, Alcaraz was also the second player in 30 years to reach the semi finals of Indian Wells at 18. The funny thing is. he wins 2 more matches, and he becomes the youngest world number 1 in HISTORY.

Before that, Alcaraz won 500 ATP points, and the title, at the Rio Open His 3 titles to start the early part of 2022 were the most of any player so far this season. The records won’t stop tumbling, and the wins won’t stop coming. Touch wood. It was little more than a year ago, that he was beaten savagely, 2-6 6-4 6-4 7-6, in the first round of the Australian Open. By who? By world number 75, Mikael Ymer. Then again in October, he was beaten in three sets at Indian Wells by a 34 year old Andy Murray, playing with a metal hip. The hits didn’t stop coming. Losing again to Mikael Ymer, in Winston Salem.

The Alcaraz of 2022 is night and day to last season’s version. He had match points against Matteo Berretini in Australia. Had he won that, who knows where he would have finished. It would be hard to suggest that he wouldn’t at least made the quarter-finals of the Australian Open. Waiting in the wings would have been Nadal. It would have been an all-time classic. Future all time great vs all time great. However, that matchup at major level will have to wait.

All in all, was last night’s match between Carlos Alcaraz- Garfia and Jannik Sinner the greatest ever next gen match?