NEW YORK — (AP) — Carlos Alcaraz used his youth, athleticism and creativity to assert himself against the much more accomplished, but also much older, Novak Djokovic and beat the 24-time major champion 6-4, 7-6 (4), 6-2 at the U.S. Open on Friday for a berth in his third consecutive Grand Slam final.
By the end, Djokovic was “gassed out,” as he described it afterward, and seemed resigned to the result. The 38-year-old from Serbia reached the semifinals at all four Slams this season but exited in that round each time, three via losses to No. 2 Alcaraz, 22, or No. 1 Jannik Sinner, 24.
“It's frustrating on the court when you are not able to keep up with that level physically, but at the same time, it’s something also expected, I guess,” Djokovic said. “It comes with time and with age.”
Alcaraz will face either defending champion Sinner or No. 25 Felix Auger-Aliassime for the championship on Sunday, when President Donald Trump plans to attend. Sinner could become the first repeat men's champion in New York since Roger Federer won the hard-court tournament five years in a row from 2004 through 2008.
Alcaraz is seeking his sixth major title and second at Flushing Meadows. He defeated Sinner at the French Open in June and lost to his rival at Wimbledon in July.
Djokovic’s bid to become the first player in the sport’s history to get Slam No. 25 was blocked again, and he thinks part of the issue is trying to overcome much younger men in best-of-five set matches.
“I still want to play ... (a) full Grand Slam season next year,” Djokovic said. “Let’s see whether that’s going to happen or not, but ... Slams are Slams. They are just different from any other tournament. They are the pillars of our sport, the most important tournaments we have. But I do fancy my chances a bit more in best-of-three.”
Alcaraz and Sinner have combined to collect the past seven major championships and nine of the last 12. Djokovic won the other three in that span, most recently at the 2023 U.S. Open.
Djokovic’s shots were not quite on-target early and, but for a brief interlude in the second set, his usual verve was not present. He rolled his eyes after one miss, grimaced after another. At changeovers, he flexed or stretched his neck, which bothered him earlier in the tournament, and also was looked at by a trainer.
There also was the occasional bit of brilliance, including a two-handed backhand passing shot that drew raucous roars from the crowd, which often cried out his nickname, “No-le!” and seemed to want to will him to at least make things more competitive, if not win.
Djokovic celebrated by strutting to his towel box while shaking his right hand over and over, as though to say, “Hoo-boy! How nice was that?”
Djokovic even managed to steal one of Alcaraz’s service games while taking a 3-0 lead in the second set. Might this portend a long, tight match?
Nope. Alcaraz immediately snapped to, taking the next three games, including one scooped cross-court forehand passing winner that was so superb even Djokovic felt compelled to applaud with his racket.
Alcaraz never faced another break point. That’s quite an accomplishment. As Alcaraz said shortly before completing the walk from the locker room to the Ashe court: “Now I am facing one of the best returners ever, if not the best.”
Alcaraz finished with 30 unforced errors, the same total as his opponent. But the performance was more than good enough.
“Today, I’d say, it wasn’t the best level of the tournament for me,” Alcaraz said, “but I just kept a cool level (from) the beginning until the last point.”
He was wearing a pink, sleeveless shirt and now sporting nearly a full head of hair less than two weeks after showing up for his first-round match with a buzz cut he said was necessary when his brother tried to give him a cut but messed up.
Maybe the decision to enjoy some down time Wednesday helped Alcaraz. He played golf with 2017 Masters champion Sergio Garcia, who was in a front-row seat across from the chair umpire Friday.
Apparently, Alcaraz and his partner came out on the winning end on the links, too, saying of Garcia: “He owes me $200 right now.”
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Howard Fendrich has been the AP's tennis writer since 2002. Find his stories here: https://apnews.com/author/howard-fendrich. More AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis