Talented teens Leylah Fernandez and Carlos Alcaraz eye US Open semi-final spots at Flushing Meadows

Teenagers have lit up the U.S. Open this year and on Tuesday Leylah Fernandez and Carlos Alcaraz will look to take their dream runs a step further by claiming a maiden spot in the semi-finals at Flushing Meadows.

The withdrawal of several big names before the start of the tournament has allowed new faces to make their mark in New York. British 18-year-old Emma Raducanu won her fourth round match on Monday, joining Alcaraz, 18, and Fernandez, who has just turned 19, in the quarter-finals.

This year`s event will be the first to feature 18-year-old male and female quarter-finalists since 1988. Canada`s Fernandez will look to back up her victories over former champions Naomi Osaka and Angelique Kerber when she takes on Ukraine`s Elina Svitolina in the second match on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

"Seeing all these teenagers, the youngsters doing so great at the U.S. Open ... is eye-opening I think to the world, to the tennis world," Fernandez said after her win over Kerber. "There is not only like one group of tennis players but there is a new wave of young generations that`s coming up, and just trying to make an impact in the tennis game as much as they can."

Spain`s Alcaraz became the youngest player in the Open era to reach the quarter-finals of the men`s tournament in New York with his victory over Germany`s Peter Gojowczyk on Sunday. Alcaraz, who will face Canadian 12th seed Felix Auger-Aliassime in the last match on Ashe, is taking things one day at a time.

"I know that in Spain, they are talking about me a lot," Alcaraz said. "I (am) trying not to think about this ... Just focus on New York, focus on every day here."

Second seed Daniil Medvedev will continue his quest for a maiden major title when he kicks things off on Arthur Ashe against Dutch qualifier Botic van de Zandschulp in the first career meeting between the two.

Russian Medvedev, the runner-up at Flushing Meadows in 2019, has cruised through the first week without dropping a set, while Van de Zandschulp has enjoyed a surprise run highlighted by a gruelling five-set win over Argentina`s Diego Schwartzman.

Roland Garros champion Barbora Krejcikova, seeded eight, will take on second seed Aryna Sabalenka, with both women seeking their first semi-final berth at the U.S. Open.