Carlos Alcaraz beat 24-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic in straight sets on Friday to reach the US Open final for the second time. The Spaniard won 6-4, 7-6 (7/4), 6-2, taking his remarkable streak to 36 victories from his previous 37 matches — his only defeat since then had been to Jannik Sinner in the Wimbledon final.
At 22, Alcaraz is already pursuing his sixth grand slam title and his second US Open crown after winning in New York in 2022. On Sunday, he will play either world No. 1 Sinner or Canada's 25th seed Felix Auger-Aliassime for the trophy.
"It's a great feeling. Once again in the final here in the US Open, it feels amazing. It means lot to me," said Alcaraz.
"It wasn't the best level of the tournament for me, but I just keep a good level from the beginning to the last point. I served really well today, it was important."
The loss was Djokovic's fourth successive semi-final defeat at a Grand Slam and ended his dreams of becoming the oldest winner of a major at 38.
The match got underway with Alcaraz opening up first, breaking Djokovic in the first game after the Serbian had pushed a forehand wide. Alcaraz threatened to double the lead with heavy pressure on Djokovic's serve, but the veteran held firm. Alcaraz then closed out the set with calm serving as both players labored to hit their sharpest.
In contrast to his quarter-final meeting with Taylor Fritz — during which he fenced with the crowd — Djokovic had the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd mostly behind him this time. Emboldened by his support, he emerged aggressively in the second set, breaking Alcaraz early and opening up a 3-0 lead. An expertly flicked passing shot by the Spaniard, one that even elicited a nod of admiration from Djokovic, turned the tide.
Alcaraz fought back to 3-3 and ultimately forced a tie-break. Opening a 4-1 advantage, he repelled Djokovic's comeback, closing out the set with a powerful serve and a Djokovic wide backhand mistake.
Djokovic summoned the trainer before the third set, and his level of energy understandably dropped. Two pricey double faults gave Alcaraz a break for 3-1, and from there, the Spaniard never looked back. While Djokovic was tiring, Alcaraz finished off the task to bring the Serbian's pursuit of a record 25th Slam to a disappointing end.
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