22-year old Carlos Alcaraz breezes by Djokovic

Carlos Alcaraz, 22, is unbeaten at the 2025 U.S. Open having not lost a set.

His dominance continued Friday afternoon in Flushing Meadows where he easily took care of Novak Djokovic, in the U.S. Open men’s singles semifinal, defeating 38-year-old in straight sets—6-4, 7-6 (7-4), 6-2—to reach his third consecutive Grand Slam final.

Djokovic struggled physically a bit with fatigue by the third set where he lost 6-2.

“It’s a great feeling … Today it wasn’t the best level of dominance for me, but I just kept a cool level from the beginning to the last point,” Alcaraz said. “I served pretty well, which was really important. I was trying to play a really physical match and think I did it. In general I played great tennis and am just really happy to play my second U.S. Open final.” (The Times)

By reaching the U.S. Open semis, the 38 year old Djokovic became the oldest man in the Open Era to reach the semifinals of all four Grand Slams in a single year

It’s a bit of a handing the torch over to Alacaraz and World No. 1 Jannik Sinner.

Novak Djokovic says Jannik Sinner & Carlos Alcaraz are too good:

“I lost 3 out of 4 slams in semis against these guys. They’re just too good.”

“Best of 5 makes it very very difficult for me to play them. Particularly at the end stages of Grand Slams.”

(via U.S. Open Press) pic.twitter.com/CFZTzAwW8g

— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) September 5, 2025

“I lost three out of four Grand Slams in the semis against these guys … so they’re just too good and playing on a really high level,” Djokovic said. “Unfortunately I ran out of gas after the second set. I think I had enough energy to battle him and to keep up with his rhythm for two sets. After that I was gassed out, and he kept going.” (The Times)

Alcaraz will await the winner of the semifinal between Sinner and Félix Auger-Aliassime. He’s chasing his sixth Grand Slam title and second U.S. Open crown, with a potential return to the No. 1 spot on the ATP rankings on the line.