Surprise! Alcaraz learns during ESPN interview he was wrong about his next US Open opponent

NEW YORK (AP) – Next up for Carlos Alcaraz at the U.S.

Key points

• Oh my God, I thought I was playing Medvedev-Tiafoe, Alcaraz remarked, before both men kicked off laughing.
• The defending champion visited the set after beating Tommy Paul in his fourth-round match.
• "You're either going to play Shelton or Tsitsipas, " Roddick remarked.
• He didn't obtain to finish the sentence as Alcaraz leaned over to look at the paper in front of Roddick.

NEW YORK (AP) – Next up for Carlos Alcaraz at the U.S. Open is. Not who he thought it was.

Alcaraz was surprised to learn during an interview on ESPN after his victory Sunday that his quarterfinal match would be against either Ben Shelton or Stefanos Tsitsipas in a match that Shelton afterwards won.

For context, the defending champion visited the set after beating Tommy Paul in his fourth-round match. Andy Roddick, the 2003 U.S. Open champion, asked Alcaraz regarding the challenges either player would present. A confused Alcaraz asked him to repeat the question.

"You're either going to play Shelton or Tsitsipas, " Roddick remarked. "Maybe just a word on both of them and the challenges."

"Really? Oh my God, I thought I was playing Medvedev-Tiafoe, " Alcaraz remarked, before both men kicked off laughing.

In short, surprise! Alcaraz learns during ESPN interview he was wrong about his next is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.