With the US Open nearing the completion of two rounds, the competition is starting to produce more interesting matches. And the third round of the men’s singles category sees third seed Stefanos Tsitsipas face the rising Spaniard, Carlos Alcaraz.

Despite 52 places separating them in the ATP rankings, this could be the pick of the matches in the third round.

Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Carlos Alcaraz: Preview

2021 is seeing the emergence of Tsitsipas. Earlier this year, the Greek star reached the French Open final. Although he lost the final to Novak Djokovic despite leading by two sets, he showed tremendous poise for a player aged just 23.

In Flushing Meadows, Tsitsipas endured a nervy first-round match against former World No. 1 Andy Murray. Despite trailing two sets to one, the 23-year-old produced excellent tennis to win the next two sets and advance to the next round.

In the second round, the Greek faced lesser problems in defeating Adrian Mannarino. Although he dropped the third set, Tsitsipas faced no trouble in scoring a bagel in the fourth set to advance to the third round.

Meanwhile, Alcaraz stunned 26th seed Cameron Norrie in straight sets to make an instant impact in his maiden US Open appearance. He then defeated unseeded Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech in four sets to set up a mouth-watering clash with Tsitsipas later this week.

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Tsitsipas vs Alcaraz: Head-to-Head, Livestream & Prediction

This clash in the third round will be the first meeting between the two individuals. Hence, their head-to-head record stands at 0-0.

While Tsitsipas isn’t necessarily a crowd favorite because of the “bathroom break” debate, he possesses a strong game which fans often respect. In addition, the Greek also has more experience on the tour than the Spanish teenager, and will look to use that to his advantage. However, Alcaraz will not be a pushover, and fans can expect this match to go beyond three sets.

The match will take place on Friday, September 3, with ESPN broadcasting the match in the United States. In the UK, fans can catch the action on Amazon Prime Video. Star Sports will broadcast the match live for Indian fans.

Prediction: Stefanos Tsitsipas advances in four sets.

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