Carlos Alcaraz is known for his impressive “tweener” shots on the court. On Wednesday at the US Open, he impressed by going behind-the-back.
Alcaraz was facing Jannik Sinner in the quarterfinals of the tournament Wednesday. Sinner was serving down 6-5 in the second set and trying to hold. He served Alcaraz out wide, causing a short return near the service line. Sinner then smacked a forehand towards the middle of the court. Alcaraz was running where he thought the ball was going and actually overran the ball, causing him to go behind his back for the shot.
Not only did Alcaraz successfully return the ball, but he ran down a short volley and flipped it cross court for a winner. Take a look:
ALCARAZ BEHIND THE BACK WHAT?!!?!?! pic.twitter.com/ylewLwrqxu
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 8, 2022
What a shot, and what speed by Alcaraz to chase down the ensuing volley for the point.
Sinner ended up holding serve and winning the tiebreaker to split the first two sets.
Alcaraz (19) and Sinner (21) are two of the best young players in the game. In a US Open now lacking Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, those two were doing their best to fill the void.
