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 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.
The No. 2-seeded Alcaraz’s victory means he will face either No. 1 Jannik Sinner or No. 25 Felix Auger-Aliassime for the championship on Sunday, when President Donald Trump plans to attend.
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.
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.
Djokovic’s bid to become the first player in the sport’s history to get No. 25 was blocked again.
Alcaraz, 22, and Sinner, 24, 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.
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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
