By HOWARD FENDRICH
Novak Djokovic took a two-set lead towards Taylor Fritz, an opponent he at all times beats, to shut in on the semifinals, a spherical he typically reaches on the U.S. Open, and marked the event by blowing kisses to these in Tuesday evening’s crowd pulling for the final American man within the subject.
That was only a style of the back-and-forth between Djokovic and a number of the of us within the Arthur Ashe Stadium seats, and there was nonetheless work that remained, however he would end off a 6-3, 7-5, 3-6, 6-4 victory. Djokovic improved to 11-0 towards 2024 runner-up Fritz and reached a record-extending 53rd Grand Slam semifinal, a complete that features 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 stated. “It was really anybody’s match. … For most of the second and third sets, he was the better player. That last game was nerve-wracking.”
He wanted three match factors to finish it, and was leaning over, arms on knees, after the primary two resulted in lengthy rallies that went Fritz’s method. However on the final, the competition ended anticlimactically with a double-fault by No. 4-seeded Fritz, whose exit means the U.S. drought will proceed and not using a male singles champion at any main since 2003, when Andy Roddick received in New York.
On Friday, Djokovic will play in his fourth Slam semifinal of the season and tackle five-time main champion Carlos Alcaraz, who hasn’t dropped a set within the match. He was a 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 winner towards No. 20 Jiri Lehecka earlier Tuesday.
Djokovic leads No. 2 seed Alcaraz 5-3 head-to-head, profitable their two most up-to-date matchups — within the Australian Open quarterfinals this January and within the closing on the Paris Olympics final yr, when the Serbian lastly fulfilled his want to win a gold medal for his nation.
The final two males’s quarterfinals are Wednesday: Alex de Minaur vs. Felix Auger-Aliassime, and defending champion Jannik Sinner vs. Lorenzo Musetti in an all-Italian matchup at evening.
On Tuesday evening, each males had been dressed completely in black — shirts, shorts, socks and sneakers. Even Djokovic’s wrist bands had been black, as was Fritz’s headband, which he had on incorrect at first, so the white lettering of his clothes sponsor’s title was upside-down till he made a change after the second set.
If the gamers’ get-ups seemed alike, that’s the place the similarities stopped. Djokovic, who has received 4 of his 24 main championships on the U.S. Open, most just lately in 2023, did what he normally does to Fritz — and, to be truthful, practically everybody else — which is to say: return masterfully, management the longest factors and serve to all the best spots, significantly within the clutch.
In sum, the 38-year-old Djokovic was typically a step, and a thought, or two forward of the 27-year-old Fritz, whose serve received higher during the last two units.
Djokovic received 25 of the 42 factors that lasted no less than 9 strokes. He saved 11 of the 13 break probabilities he confronted. And he received 10 of the 11 factors when he serve-and-volleyed.
Fritz got here out a bit shaky. Not his greatest serving. Not his greatest groundstrokes. Possibly it was the foe and their one-sided historical past. Possibly it was the setting, the stage, the stakes.
Possibly it was the earlier-than-originally-planned begin, on account of the cancellation of the ladies’s quarterfinal between Aryna Sabalenka and Marketa Vondrousova, who withdrew with a knee iniury.
Djokovic stole Fritz’s preliminary service sport on the way in which to a 3-0 lead that quickly was a two-set benefit. Fritz labored his method into the match and made issues extra fascinating, however by no means moved forward.
Alongside the way in which, Djokovic received into it with the spectators backing his opponent, though it’s value nothing there have been loads supporting the person who’s spent extra time at No. 1 than anybody in tennis historical past, too.
Nonetheless, there have been these applauding and cheering faults by Djokovic, thought-about a no-no in tennis.
It reached a head within the third set, when the fault celebrations grew extra raucous because the clock handed 10:30 p.m. Djokovic requested chair umpire Damian Dumusois, “What are you going to do?” after which mockingly repeated the phrases the official saved saying in an unsuccessful try and settle the interruptions, “Thank you. Please. Thank you. Please.”
Quickly, Fritz was smacking a forehand winner to interrupt for a 3-1 lead in that set, one he would take.
However Djokovic got here by means of when it mattered most.
