On Tuesday, Novak Djokovic passed a tough American fourth seed Taylor Fritz, 6-3, 7-5, 3-6, 6-4 in a match that went just over three and a half hours to reach the US Open semi-finals. From this stage he will meet Carlos Alcaraz in a highly anticipated and talked-about showdown.
Once again, the 38-year-old Serbian, who is chasing his 25th Grand Slam title and thus breaking the record, was really hard to beat on Arthur Ashe Stadium. Although Fritz put him under pressure at various intervals, it was Djokovic’s experience that counted at the end of the three-hour, 24-minute epic.
Fritz had plenty of opportunities but he was only able to convert two of the 13 break points he created. In the first set, he missed five openings to get the break and lead 5-4 instead of giving Djokovic the first strike. The American started the third set but he was the one who made mistakes (including a double fault on match point) that helped Djokovic to the victory.
“Just a few points make all the difference in a match like this,” said Djokovic after the match. “I was lucky to have saved some important break points in the second set.”
This win set Djokovic to an electric semi-final clash with 22-year-old Carlos Alcaraz, who has been stunning lately. Therefore, their encounter might be the tournament’s most significant turning point.
