Carlos Alcaraz has used his youth, athleticism and creativity to assert himself against the much more accomplished, but also much older, Novak Djokovic and beat the 24-time major champion 6-4, 7-6 (7/4), 6-2 at the US Open and secure a berth in his third consecutive grand slam final.
The match on Friday was billed as the hottest ticket in New York and it lived up to the hype, with a scoreline that belied its intensity, as the 2022 champion Alcaraz soaked in deafening cheers on match point.
Djokovic had won the pair’s two most recent meetings, including in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open earlier this year, but the 38-year-old showed wear and tear against the Spaniard 16 years his junior.
The 22-year-old hit 30 winners to Djokovic’s 15 and seemed to have the answers at key moments.
Once Djokovic failed to win the second set tie-break to level the match, it was only a question of when.
A forehand error from Djokovic ended the match after 2 hours and 23 minutes.
By the end, Djokovic seemed resigned to the result. The 38-year-old from Serbia reached the semifinals at all four slams this season but exited in that round each time.
The second-seeded Alcaraz’s victory means he will face either world number one Jannik Sinner or 25th seed Felix Auger-Aliassime for the championship on Sunday.
Alcaraz is seeking his sixth major title and second at Flushing Meadows. He beat Sinner at the French Open in June and lost to his rival at Wimbledon in July.
AP/Reuters