Carlos Alcaraz reaches US Open quarterfinal with late-night win against Marin Cilic
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The American had a two-shot lead with two-under on the back nine of his opening match when rain intervened.
But in the hour and 32 minutes of sudden-death play that followed, Alcaraz held two match points at the par-five 17th hole.
The Spaniard said he was disappointed with the way things turned out.
“I was trying to stay calm but the ball was hitting the ground and I didn’t know why,” he told reporters, holding back tears.
“I don’t know, it hurts me really bad. I made a couple of unforced errors and then the ball came in from under some trees and hit my nose.
“I’m not going to blame anybody. I don’t want to blame anybody but I’m very sad because I was really very close. I did everything I could.
“It’s a bad match but I didn’t think it was going to be like this. I was trying to concentrate and I think I was doing well.”
Cilic held a two-shot lead over Steve Stricker who won with a birdie at the fifth at TPC Deere Run.
Cilic was relieved to reach Sunday’s final after not having enough match wins over previous years.
“This was the worst I have been in the last four years,” he said.
Tiger Woods and Rickie Fowler, the 2013 US Open champion, have also been eliminated.
After the tournament’s conclusion, the reigning champion Almagro told reporters that he had received a message from Woods urging him to keep his head up and to remember the tournament.
“I have a message from him,” said Almagro, who fell to the leader board for the third time in four years.