Carlos Alcaraz has demanded the opening set against Novak Djokovic in their long -awaited intergenerational collision in the semi -final on the US Open on Friday afternoon.
Alcaraz wants to challenge defeating Djokovic during the Australian Open this season and last year’s Olympic Games in the ninth Lexus ATP Head2head meeting of the couple and started clearly in Arthur Ashe Stadium. In a first set of 48 minutes, the second seed of Djokovic overwhelmed with its depth and aggression and found the larger plays to win the opener 6-4.
Alcaraz pursues his sixth Grand Slam title and a second US Open Crown, after he has triumphed in New York in 2022. He is currently driving on an 11-match winning streak, fresh from his eighth ATP Masters 1000 title in Cincinnati. If he lifts the trophy, Alcaraz Jannik Sinner will jump to World No. 1 to reclaim in the PIF ATP ranking for the first time in two years. He would also return to the first place if Sinner loses to Felix Auger-Aliassime later on Friday or if neither of them reaches the final.
With a tour-leading 59 victories and six titles in 2025, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, Alcaraz looks good to improve his career-best count of 65 victories and six trophies from 2023. The Spaniard has reached the final at its last seven events and has stamped all its ticket in the Nitto ATP Finals, held from 9-16 November in Turin.
Djokovic defeated Taylor Fritz to join Sinner as the second man this year to reach the semi -final in all four Majors. The Serbian, who chases his first SLAM final of the season, tries to win a record-extending 25th big crown and break the recent dominance of Sinner and Alcaraz, who have won the last seven Majors between them. The last big title of Djokovic came to Flushing Meadows in 2023, when he defeated Daniil Medvedev in the final.
The 38-year-old, who offers to become the second oldest big finalist in the open era after Ken Rosewall, has a 37-15 record in a large semi-final and is a four-time US Open Champion.
For a crowded crowd in New York, Alcaraz flew out the blocks to break Djokovic’s Serve in the opening match. Despite a few burning backhand winners of Djokovic, Alcaraz was control for the most of the first set. He sometimes forced the Serbian out of balance with his shot weight, and often hit his forehand more than 80 km / h to dictate. Djokovic also struggled for consistency behind his first service and won only 65 percent (13/20) points at his first delivery.
Did you know that?
Alcaraz only wants to become the fifth man in the open era to reach seven Grand Slam -final before he turns 23, a member of an elite group with Bjorn Borg, Rafael Nadal, Mats Wilander and Jim Courier.
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