U.S. Open Day 10 Recap: Alcaraz, Djokovic Set Up Semifinal Clash
One half of the U.S. Open men’s singles semifinals is all set after both Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz won their quarterfinal matches on Tuesday.
Djokovic battled fourth-seeded American Taylor Fritz in what was supposed to be the second match of the Night Session in Arthur Ashe Stadium, but the start time was moved up after Marketa Vondrousova withdrew from her match against Aryna Sabalenka.
The 24-time major champion Djokovic got off to a fast start in the opening set, breaking Fritz early, and fighting off several break points while serving at 5-3 in the first.
Fritz’s struggles continued into the second set as he was once again broken early on, and although this time he was able to break Djokovic while the Serbian served for the set at 5-4, the American handed the break right back with a double-fault. Djokovic served out the set to take the commanding 6-3, 7-5 advantage.
With the crowd getting more anxious in their support of Fritz, the American was able to win the third set after Djokovic dropped serve in the fourth game, and took the match into a fourth set.
But Fritz’s lack of sharpness on Tuesday night showed up again when he was broken at 4-5 in the fourth set, symbolically closing out the match with a double-fault as Djokovic moved into the semifinals with a 6-3, 7-5, 3-6, 6-4.
“That last game was nerve-wracking. Tough one for Taylor to finish with a double fault, he didn’t deserve that, but a great fight and a great tournament for him,” said Djokovic. “I didn’t feel like I was dominating today from the back of the court. In many of my service games, I was just trying to stay alive, fight for every ball. He was aggressive, staying close to the line. [It’s] not easy to play him. At the end of the day, winning matters and I’m really proud of the fight that I put in and I wear my heart on my sleeve always for this sport. I’m still enjoying it.”
The four-time U.S. Open champion now moves into a blockbuster showdown with Alcaraz, the second-seed who cruised past Jiri Lehecka of Czechia 6-4, 6-2, 6-4. The 2022 champion never faced a break point, and has not dropped a set so far this fortnight.
“I think today I just played a really—or almost perfect match, I would say,” Alcaraz said. “So playing a quarterfinal of a Grand Slam, I’m feeling that way. It seems like, just two more steps to do, and let’s see what happens. But yeah, I just feeling great and hungry to make it.”
The other semifinal will be decided on Wednesday, when top-seed and defending champion Jannik Sinner plays fellow Italian Lorenzo Musetti in one quarterfinal, while eighth-seeded Australian Alex de Minaur plays 25th seed Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada.
