Scenes From the US Open: Alcaraz, Tiafoe, Shelton and Pegula

He's Ba-aack! And anyone facing him should be afraid. Very afraid. After a four-month layoff to heal an injured wrist, there was some question as to Carlos Alcaraz's match-play abilities. He answered those questions emphatically, moving rather easily into the quarterfinals.

Among Alcaraz's victims, here's a shot of Tommy Paul attempting unsuccessfully to chase down one of Alcaraz's patented touch shots. The American seemed befuddled by the array of weapons Alcaraz utilized, the Spanish sensation coming away with a decisive 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 Round of 16 victory that was never really in doubt.

That's Big Ben Shelton, who got through his Round of 16 match Sunday night in fine fashion, taking out Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets, 6-2, 6-3, 6-4. Up next for Ben is the daunting task of facing Alcaraz in prime time Tuesday evening to see who goes on to the semifinals. We've had Shelton as our MMLT (Man Most Likely To) be the next American to win a Grand Slam for two years. The reason: With the emergence of Sinner and Alcaraz at the top of men's tennis, even with a lot of other Americans in the mix, it is Shelton's power game that seems most suited to not letting those guys dictate play. That said, the way Alcaraz has been looking, Ben is going to have to be totally on his game.

In a previous article about Sebastian Gorzny, we discussed a player's eyes lighting up when they see a ball they can punish. Here we have 22-year-old American Alex Michelsen, whose entire face has a look that says a tennis ball is about to receive a whacking. Tennis fans would be wise to start giving Michelsen some serious looks as well: He made his way into the quarterfinals with a solid 7-6 (8-6), 6-4, 6-4 win over No. 27 seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry of Argentina. Michelsen displayed a solid all-around game and consistently cracked a first serve of over 130 mph in completing the impressive win. A few fewer unforced errors and there's no telling where he can go.

That's a photo taken during a changeover in the Michelsen v. Etcheverry match that was played on Grandstand Court. Yes, we know the competitors are not among the bigger names in tennis (not yet anyway), but this match was for a spot in the quarterfinals, to be one of eight men left who have a shot at winning the US Open. To which we can only say, "C'mon NYC! You can do a lot better!"

To illustrate that last statement, NYC is indeed capable of better. That's Frances Tiafoe en route to his Round of 16 victory over perennial Top 10 player Daniil Medvedev in front of a packed-to-capacity Armstrong Stadium. Obviously, star power plays a big part in crowd turnout. But we'd hope that the weight of the contest itself would draw more fanfare. As it is, we'll have both in the next round as Tiafoe draws, you guessed it, Alex Michelsen, with one of those Americans going on to the semifinals!

Tiafoe took it to Medvedev, coming away with a 7-6 (7-1), 6-4, 7-6 (8-6) victory. It was perhaps one of the best matches we've ever seen Tiafoe play, right up there with his four-set win over Rafa Nadal at the 2022 US Open. He obviously came in with a strategy to attack, and he executed that strategy extremely well. Shown here is one of his many forays to the net, which included several serve-and-volleys.

Finally, we didn't want to leave without some mention of the women's side of the tournament. Here's the third-ranked Jessica Pegula punching her ticket into the quarterfinals with a somewhat routine victory over Sorana Cirstea of Romania, 6-3, 6-4. While a handful of other players may have more power or slightly better court coverage, Pegula has shown herself to be one of the most consistent players currently on tour, and anyone hoping to defeat her is going to have to be at the very top of their game.

On to the Quarterfinals and Beyond!

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Written by Florida Tennis contributor Todd Pechter Photo credits: PechterPhotos.com

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