
Carlos Alcaraz left Emma Raducanu and the entire Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd in a frenzy when he fired a winner around the net post during their US Open mixed doubles match. The Spaniard took to the court in New York less than 24 hours after he was crowned the Cincinnati Open champion, as he and Raducanu faced British No. 1 Jack Draper and WTA No. 4 Jessica Pegula.
Draper and Pegula took the opening set, breaking in Alcaraz's opening service game. But the world No. 2 raised his level as the match went on, and stunned everyone with his incredible winner during Pegula's service game.
Alcaraz and Raducanu struggled in the opening set. The Spaniard immediately went 0-40 down on his serve. He saved one break point before getting broken, and it proved crucual as Draper eventually closed out the opening set 4-2.
The former US Open singles champions enjoyed a stronger start to set two as Raducanu held for a 1-0 lead. Former doubles No. 1 Pegula was up next, and at 40-0 on her serve, Alcaraz pulled out an incredible shot.
Draper drew Raducanu into the net and ripped a backhand across the court. The 22-year-old stuck her arm out to try and return the ball, but it went straight past her. She ducked, seemingly ready to accept that the point was over.
But Alcaraz appeared from behind and chased it down, hitting a forehand around the net. Raducanu's draw dropped and she turned to face her partner in disbelief, putting her hands on her head.
The fans inside the US Open's main showcourt went wild, and even Pegula couldn't help but laugh.
"I'm fairly certain Raducanu had actually given up on the point before her partner came to the rescue," Nick Lester said on commentary. "Look at Emma's face! She was thinking it was over."
Laura Robson replied: "She was walking to the chair. That is ridiculous!"
Pegula still managed to hold serve, and Raducanu and Alcaraz were back under pressure, getting broken in the middle of the second set.
The top seeds were pushing for another break, and Raducanu had to save three match points on her serve, but she held on to keep her and Alcaraz in the mixed doubles tournament for a few more minutes.
But Pegula and Draper still got the job done, with the ATP No. 5 ripping a forehand winner of his own to seal a 4-2 4-2 victory.
Afterwards, he told the crowd: "I've got a pretty good partner. What an experience playing out here with Jessica, playing against Emma and Carlos.
"It doesn't get any better than this so it's just a pleasure to be out here, playing against them and playing with such a good player."
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