Alcaraz "takes revenge" on Djokovic, advances to US Open final

(Dan Tri) - Carlos Alcaraz avenged his recent consecutive defeats against Novak Djokovic when he won 6-4, 7-6(4), 6-2 in the first semi-final of the US Open men's singles on the morning of September 6.

The confrontation between Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic continued to heat up at the US Open in the early morning of September 6, when the young Spanish tennis player excellently defeated the Serbian legend with a score of 6-4, 7-6(4), 6-2 to win the right to enter the 7th Grand Slam final of his career and the 2nd time in New York.

In a dramatic and high-quality 2-hour and 25-minute match at Arthur Ashe Stadium, Alcaraz successfully avenged recent defeats to Djokovic at this year's Australian Open and the 2024 Paris Olympics. This victory brings him closer to his 6th Grand Slam title and the goal of returning to the No. 1 position in the ATP rankings.

Alcaraz celebrates his victory over Djokovic (Photo: Getty).

"It feels great. To be in the final of the US Open again, it feels great. It means a lot to me. Today, I have to say it wasn't my best performance of the tournament, but I maintained a good form from start to finish. I served pretty well, I think that was really important. I tried to play a really strong match and I think I did. Overall, I played well and I'm happy to play my second final here," Alcaraz said in an on-court interview.

The Spaniard dominated Djokovic with powerful shots and showed great determination in the second set, coming back from 0-3 down to take a crucial two-set lead. Alcaraz largely controlled the tempo of the match with powerful shots and was in control for most of the match against the Serb, who struggled physically in the third set.

With the win, Alcaraz improved his head-to-head record against Djokovic to 4-5 and extended his winning streak to 12 matches. The No. 2 seed has reached the final of each of his last eight tournaments, dating back to Monte Carlo in April. His most recent title came in Cincinnati, where he lifted his eighth ATP Masters 1000 trophy last month.

After overcoming Djokovic, Alcaraz could face Jannik Sinner in the final on September 8. If the Italian beats Felix Auger-Aliassime in the second semi-final and advances to the final, Alcaraz and Sinner will become the first men's doubles pair to face each other in three Grand Slam finals in the same season. Alcaraz saved three championship points en route to beating Sinner at Roland Garros before the 24-year-old got his revenge at Wimbledon to lift his fourth Grand Slam title.

If Sinner fails to reach the final, Alcaraz will return to No. 1 in the ATP rankings on September 8 for the first time since September 2023. If Sinner reaches the final, 2022 US Open champion Alcaraz will need to lift the trophy to surpass the Italian, who has held the No. 1 spot since June 2024.

With 60 wins and a Tour-leading six titles this year, Alcaraz looks well placed to improve on his career best of 65 wins and six titles in 2023. The Spaniard has already booked his place at the Nitto ATP Finals, which will be held from November 9 to November 16 in Turin.

Djokovic could not stop the youthful power of Alcaraz (Photo: Getty).

Djokovic beat Taylor Fritz to join Sinner as the second player this year to reach the semi-finals at all four Grand Slams. The Serb is aiming for his first Grand Slam final of the season and is bidding for his 25th Grand Slam title, breaking the recent dominance of Sinner and Alcaraz, who have won the last seven Grand Slams together. Djokovic's last Grand Slam title came at Flushing Meadows in 2023, when he beat Daniil Medvedev in the final. The 38-year-old is 37-16 in Grand Slam semi-finals and has won the US Open four times.

In front of a packed New York crowd, Alcaraz made a stunning run to break Djokovic in the opening game. Despite Djokovic’s impressive backhand, Alcaraz remained in control for much of the first set. He repeatedly kept the Serb off balance with powerful shots, often landing forehands clocked in at over 80 mph to win the set. Djokovic also struggled to maintain consistency on his first serve, winning just 65 percent (13/20) of his points on his first serve.

Djokovic hit a decisive shot to break Alcaraz's first serve game in the second set. However, from 3-0 up, he was unable to stop the second seed. Alcaraz successfully broke back to reduce the score to 2-3. The Spaniard made more unforced errors than Djokovic in this set and sometimes looked frustrated when he missed his usual good drop shot. However, he stuck to his guns and showed determination in the tie-break to win.

Djokovic was treated for a shoulder injury early in the third set, clearly tired, the 38-year-old lost his serve again when he made a double fault in the fourth game (1-3). Alcaraz quickly seized the opportunity, hitting clean shots to take the lead, then broke again in game 8 to win. Alcaraz finished the match with a score of 31-30 (winners vs. unforced errors), while Djokovic scored 15-30. The Serbian also won only 66% of his first serve points, compared to Alcaraz's 84%.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/alcaraz-phuc-han-djokovic-tien-vao-chung-ket-us-open-20250906072352038.htm