Alcaraz and the desire to revenge in the US expand

* Alcaraz - Reilly Opelka: Expected 7h10 on August 26.

Since returning to the US two weeks ago in Cincinnati, where he won the 22nd title in the career of creating momentum for the Grand Slam to expand, Alcaraz has always appeared with a familiar optimistic smile. But this time, that confident feeling is more clear than ever, although this is the place to mark the big shock of the Spanish tennis player, when he lost to the Dutch opponent Botic Van de Zandschulp in the second round of the US expansion last year. Last year, he went to Flushing Meadows in a state of physical and mental exhaustion after effort at the Paris Olympic Games. And now is a completely different situation, when Alcaraz appears with a fresh, desire and energetic look.

The 22 -year -old tennis player aims to shine in the next two weeks to beautify a 2025 season that has been excellent. Since the beginning of the year, he won 6 titles - Rotterdam, Monte Carlo, Rome, Roland Garros, Queen’s and Cincinnati, and was fiercely competing with Jannik Sinner for the world's number one position. He also led the ATP reward at the end of the season for the most accumulated players at Masters 1000 and ATP Finals. The player born in El Palmar currently has 3,410 points, far exceeding Sinner - the second person with 1,960 points. Last week, due to illness, Sinner gave up after only 23 minutes of competition in the final of Cincinnati against Alcaraz. Also in the start -up tournament before this expansion, the world number two players overcome difficult opponents like Andrey Rublev and Alexander Zverev before reaching the final.

This is a turning point, as Alcaraz himself emphasized. "Now I find myself a lot more advanced, not only because of the victory in Cincinnati, but because I feel the ability I can stand in difficult matches, overcome stressful moments on the pitch. Last year, I did not have that feeling ," he said. The battle and unable to find a solution to reverse the situation. But now Alcaraz believes himself has a psychological and tactical step forward, making rivals wary of his surprising explosion.

"last year, I did not feel that power ," he shared. "This year, because I don't have an Olympic, I have more time for myself to rest, relax and prepare carefully for Cincinnati. The results show that I am on the right track".

If crowned on September 7 in New York, Alcaraz will regain the number one position in the world, nearly two years after the last time he achieved this milestone. Despite being 22 years old, Alcaraz, in recent months, has become more seasoned, stable, has a more resilient fighting spirit and the ability to control the match, although his play style is still relying on inspiration. With their dominance, fans are waiting for the appearance of one or two new players can change the situation, avoiding the situation of the tournament is just the race to the final between the two.

"I think there are many top -class players, although Sinner, with 63 consecutive weeks holding the number one position, has shown superior. I have lost many times and my matches are often more difficult than Jannik. But the recent results show that both of us are leading ," Alcaraz said. "Finally, the person deserves to reign. Whoever tries, that person will achieve what he wants. Whether I want or not, there are still players with excellent level, may be having difficulty, but then they will find the form ".

Alcaraz warns that both him and Sinner are not allowed to slow down, because otherwise, those who go later are young players who are progressing very quickly will catch up them. However, at present, it seems not easy. Like Melbourne, Paris or London, the context in New York may still be a familiar scenario, with Alcaraz and Sinner in the upper world. Alcaraz will play on the morning of August 26 to meet Reilly Opelka, while Sinner encountered Vit Kopriva at the same day. This American player currently ranks 66th in the world and has won 4 titles. In addition to the height, Opelka also stands out thanks to the ability to serve the serve directly, with an average of 15.3 ACE per game in 2025.

"that will be a very difficult match. I have never confronted Opelka and we all know his style of play. I need to focus the most, try to return the best ball possible and then will count. Dinh.

According to ATP statistics, Opelka won in 88.4% of the gaming game and had 598 ACE this year. At the pitch tournament in S-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands, he once launched 24 ACEs against Daniil Medvedev. And last year in the US expanded, he scored 23 ACEs before Lorenzo Musetti.