Novak Djokovic looked well on his way to an easy victory Thursday in US Open semifinal play. Then he responded to late pressure from Ben Shelton to secure his place in Sunday’s championship round.
Djokovic took early control of the match with a break for a 4-2 lead in the opening set. He maintained control until a dramatic third set, where he held on for a 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 (7-4) victory to advance to his 10th US Open final. There, he’ll seek his fourth US Open championship and 24th Grand Slam title, which would extend his all-time record among men.
The loss for Shelton eliminates the last remaining American in the men’s field. The hard-serving, unseeded 20-year old defeated two seeded players in countrymen Frances Tiafoe and Tommy Paul en route to his remarkable semifinals run, his deepest run in a professional tournament of any kind. But Djokovic proved too tall a task as the 36-year-old has so many times for emerging players.
Djokovic holds on in tense 3rd set
Djokovic outplayed Shelton for much of the match before Shelton scored his first break in the eighth game to ramp up the pressure on the 23-time Grand Slam champion. Djokovic returned the break to take a 6-5 lead and serve with the match on his racket. But Shelton Broke Djokovic again to force a tiebreak. There, Djokovic was too strong for Shelton as he took a 5-1 lead in route to the 7-4 tiebreak victory.
Djokovic returns to the US Open final in first appearance since his 2022 absence. He missed last year’s tournament because he wasn’t vaccinated against COVID-19, failing to meet a requirement for entry into the U.S. He’ll seek his first title since 2018 after controversy likewise cut his 2020 quest short. He was disqualified in the fourth round that year after he hit a line judge with an errant ball, an infraction that requires automatic disqualification.
Djokovic’s return has been met with excitement in New York from a crowd that’s witnessed classic battles between the Serb and the likes of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray over the years.
His win sets up the potential for another tremendous final against the winner between No. 1 seed and reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz and No. 3 seed Daniil Medvedev, who defeated Djokovic for the 2021 US Open title. An Alcaraz semifinal win would set up a rematch of a dramatic Wimbledon final that saw Alcaraz defeat Djokovic in five sets in July.
