New York-Novak Djokovic took a two-set lead against Taylor Fritz, an opponent he always beats, to close the semi-final, a round he often reaches at the US Open, and marked the opportunity to blow kisses for those in the crowd of Tuesday evening who pulled into the last American man in the field.
That was just a taste of the back and forth between Djokovic and some people in Arthur Ashe Stadium, and there was still work that was over, but he would take out a 6-3, 7-5, 3-6, 6-4 victory. Djokovic improved to 11-0 against 2024 second place Fritz and reached a record-extending 53rd Grand Slam semi-final, a total with a record-typing 14 at Flushing Meadows.
“I just tried to survive,” said Djokovic. “It’s one of those days where you just have to grind.”
He needed three match points to end it, and leaned forward, hands on his knees, after the first two resulted in long rallies that Fritz went the way. But at the last minute, the match ended anti-climactically with a double error by no. 4-class Fritz, whose exit means that the American drought will continue without a male singles champion at a major since 2003, when Andy Roddick won in New York.
“At the end of the day that is one of the things that make the great players great,” Fritz said about Djokovic. “They win the big points.”
On Friday, Djokovic plays in his fourth SLAM-HALVE Final of the season and will take on five-time large champion Carlos Alcaraz, who did not drop a set in the tournament. He was a 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 winner against no. 20 Jiri Lehecka earlier Tuesday.
Djokovic leads No. 2 Seed Alcaraz 5-3 against each other and wins their two most recent matchups in the Australian Open quarterfinals in January and in the final last year at the Olympic Games in Paris, when the Serbian finally fulfilled his wish to win a gold medal for his country.
The last two quarterfinals for men are Wednesday: Alex de Minaur vs. Felix Auger-Aliassy and title defender Jannik Sinner vs. Lorenzo Musetti in an all-Italian matchup at night.
On Tuesday evening, both players were completely dressed in black – shirts, shorts, socks and shoes. Even Djokovic’s wristbands were black, just like the headband of Fritz, which he was wrong at the start, so the white letters of the name of his clothing sponsor was upside down until he made a change after the second set.
If the piles of the players looked alike, the similarities were stopped. Djokovic, who has won four of his 24 large championships on the US, most recently in 2023, did what he usually does with Fritz – and, to be honest, almost everyone else – that is: Returner, check the longest points and operate the longest points and operate the longest points and serve the long points, the long points in the long points in the Name in the Name in the Name in the Name in the Name in the Name in the Name in the Name in the Name in the Name In In In In In In In In In In In In In In In In terms of the Name In In In In In In In In In In In In In In In In In terms of the Longest In In In In In In In In In In In In In terms of the Longest Points In In In In In In In In In In In In In In In In In In In In In In terms of Correct Spotes clutch.
The 38-year-old Djokovic was generally a step, and a thought, or two for the 27-year-old Fritz, whose serve got better in the last two sets.
Djokovic won 25 of the 42 points that lasted at least nine strokes. He saved 11 of the 13 break opportunities with which he was confronted. And he won 10 of the 11 points when he served and full.
Fritz came out a bit shaky. Not his best mining. Not his best foundations. Perhaps it was the enemy and their one -sided history. Maybe it was the setting, the stage, the bet.
Perhaps it was the earlier than original start, because of the cancellation of the quarterfinals of the women between Aryna Sabalenka and Marketa Vondrousova, who pulled herself on Tuesday on Tuesday due to a knee-internal injury.
Djokovic stole the first Fritz service game on the way to a 3-0 lead that soon became an advantage of two set. Fritz worked his way in the competition and made things more interesting but never went on.
Along the way, Djokovic came in with the spectators who supported his opponent, although it is worth nothing, there was also plenty who supports the man who spent more time at number 1 than anyone else in tennis history.
Yet there were those applauding and cheering mistakes from Djokovic, considered a no-no in tennis.
It reached a head in the third set, when the mistakes became rawer as the clock passed by 22:30 hrs Djokovic Seat Referee Damian Dumusois: “What are you going to do?” And then the words repeated the words that the civil servant kept saying in a failed attempt to arrange the interruptions: “Thank you. Thank you.” Please. “
Soon Fritz hit a Forehand winner to break for a 3-1 lead in that set, one that he would take.
But Djokovic came through when it mattered the most.
“He served better. He made far fewer mistakes,” said Fritz. “He played better in the fourth.”
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