Novak Djokovic secured a spot in a blockbuster semifinal against Carlos Alcaraz at the US Open, keeping alive his pursuit of a record 25th Grand Slam title, AFP reported.

The 38-year-old Serbian reached a record 14th semifinal in New York after a four-set victory over No. 4 seed Taylor Fritz, the last American remaining in the draw. With his 6-3, 7-5, 3-6, 6-4 triumph, he extended his unbeaten record against American opponents in New York to 16-0 and advanced to his 53rd Grand Slam semifinal, tying legend Jimmy Connors for most top-four appearances at the US Open.

“The match was extremely competitive; it could have gone either way. I was lucky to save key break points in the second set. For most of the second and third sets, he was the better player,” Djokovic admitted.

Fritz saved two match points in a tense fourth set, but a double fault at the end decided the outcome. “The last game was tense; it’s tough for Taylor to finish with a double fault—he didn’t deserve that,” added the Serbian.

The showdown with Alcaraz will be their first meeting at Flushing Meadows and their fifth in a Grand Slam tournament. Djokovic leads the rivalry 5-3 and has won all three of their encounters on hard courts, including the Australian Open quarterfinal in January.

Djokovic started strongly, breaking in the very first game and quickly racing to a 3-0 lead. Fritz responded with five break points in the eighth game, but the Serbian held firm with characteristic resilience, including during a spectacular 25-shot rally.

In the second set, the American created more chances but failed to capitalize, and a double fault on his own serve cost him the set. Djokovic mockingly blew kisses toward the Fritz-supporting crowd, and as tensions grew in the next set, he even asked the chair umpire to restore order.

Fritz managed to take the third set, but in the fourth, Djokovic never relinquished control. On his third match point, Fritz once again committed a double fault, sending the Serbian into the semifinal. | BGNES