NEW YORK: Carlos Alcaraz beat 24-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic in straight sets on Friday to reach his second US Open final, where he could face reigning champion Jannik Sinner.
Alcaraz won 6-4, 7-6 , 6-2 to reel off his 36th victory in his last 37 matches. His only loss in that time came to Sinner in the Wimbledon final.
The 22-year-old Spaniard is seeking his sixth major and second in New York after winning the title in 2022. He will play top-ranked Sinner or Canadian 25th seed Felix Auger-Aliassime in Sunday’s final.
“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 defeat for Djokovic marked his fourth straight semifinal loss at a Grand Slam and foiled the 38-year-old’s bid to become the oldest major champion.
Alcaraz grabbed a break to open the match as Djokovic pushed a forehand long and the Spaniard had a chance to go a double break in front, cranking up the heat on the Serbian’s serve.
Djokovic escaped further trouble but the damage was done as Alcaraz secured the set with a couple of clutch serves as both players were still searching for their best level.
After sparring with the crowd during his quarter-final win over Taylor Fritz, Djokovic had the majority of those inside Arthur Ashe Stadium urging him on as he landed his first proper blow.
A fired-up Djokovic broke Alcaraz and surged into a 3-0 lead to start the second set, but a sublime flicked passing shot that drew applause from his rival offered a way back in for the Spaniard.
He pulled level at 3-3 before Djokovic ended a three-game skid. Alcaraz let an opportunity slip when he pegged Djokovic 0-30 down in the ninth game, with a tie-break eventually required.
Alcaraz ran up a 4-1 advantage and held Djokovic off, hitting a booming serve to earn two set points and strengthening his grip on the contest when the Serbian sent a looping backhand return wide.
Djokovic summoned the trainer between sets and his energy appeared to be waning.
Two double faults gifted Alcaraz a break for a 3-1 lead in the third set and the writing was on the wall for Djokovic, whose latest bid for a record 25th Grand Slam ended with a whimper.
Alcaraz downs Djokovic to reach US Open final
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Alcaraz downs Djokovic to reach US Open final
Siniakova ends Andreeva Indian Wells defense in third round
- Siniakova, a former doubles number one, will face either Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina or American Ashlyn Krueger for a place in the quarter-finals
INDIAN WELLS, United States: Unseeded Katerina Siniakova ended a frustrated Mirra Andreeva’s Indian Wells title defense on Monday, rallying for a 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory over the eighth-ranked Russian.
The 18-year-old Andreeva had opened her repeat bid with an imperious 6-0, 6-0 demolition of Solana Sierra.
But she was in trouble early and often against 44th-ranked Siniakova in a rollercoaster contest that featured seven service breaks for each player and 43 break chances between them.
When she sailed a swinging volley long to surrender the second set, Andreeva threw her racquet in disgust.
She regrouped to break Siniakova for a 3-2 lead in the third, but Siniakova won the next four games.
The Czech saved a pair of break points in the final game before sealing the match with a shot that struck the net cord and dribbled over as Andreeva could only watch, disappointment sparking another outburst from the Russian as she departed the court.
Siniakova, a former doubles number one, will face either Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina or American Ashlyn Krueger for a place in the quarter-finals.
In other early matches, fifth-seeded American Jessica Pegula shook off a slow start to beat Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.
Pegula, coming off her fourth career WTA 1000 title at Dubai last month, fired 11 aces with just one double fault as she rallied for the win.
“I think today I had to kind of snap myself back and kind of lock in to not let that get away from me,” said Pegula, who said she was in danger of letting negativity and frustration get the better of her.
“I didn’t think I was playing bad. It was just letting a couple chances, couple breaks here and there (get away), maybe a couple shots that I could have been more aggressive on.”
Later on Stadium Court, world number two Iga Swiatek took on Greece’s Maria Sakkari — the woman she beat in the Indian Wells finals in 2022 and 2024.
Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina, who lifted the Indian wells Trophy in 2023, played Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk in the final match of the night.
