‘Taylor-made’ win for Djokovic, sets up semis clash with Alcaraz

new york: Novak Djokovic took a two-set lead against Taylor Fritz, an opponent he always beats, to close in on the semifinals, a round he often reaches at the U.S. Open, and marked the occasion by blowing kisses to those in Tuesday night’s crowd pulling for the last American man in the field.

That was just a taste of the back-and-forth between Djokovic and some of the folks in the Arthur Ashe Stadium seats, and there was still work that remained, but he would finish off a 6-3 7-5 3-6 6-4 victory. Djokovic improved to 11-0 against 2024 runner-up Fritz and reached a record-extending 53rd Grand Slam semifinal, a total that includes a record-tying 14 at Flushing Meadows.

“In the end of the day, a win matters. I’m really proud of the fight that I put in. I wear my heart on my sleeve, always, for this sport. So I’m still enjoying it,” Djokovic said.

On Friday, Djokovic will play in his fourth Slam semifinal of the season and take on five-time major champion Carlos Alcaraz, who hasn’t dropped 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 head-to-head, winning their two most recent matchups — in the Australian Open quarterfinals this January and in the final at the Paris Olympics last year, when the Serbian finally fulfilled his wish to win a gold medal.

On the women’s side, Jessica Pegula broke through her quarterfinal wall again, defeating Barbora Krejcikova 6-3 6-3 to get to the semifinals at a Grand Slam for just the second time in her career.