Novak Djokovic has secured his place in the US Open semifinals for the 14th time in his career after a demanding four-set victory over American Taylor Fritz. The Serbian superstar, who is in pursuit of a record-breaking 25th major title, won the match with a final score of 6-3, 7-5, 3-6, 6-4. This latest win extends his perfect head-to-head record against Fritz to 11-0 and sets up a blockbuster semifinal clash against rival Carlos Alcaraz.
Djokovic admitted it was an "incredibly close match" that could have gone either way. He confessed that he was "lucky to save crucial breakpoints in the second set" and acknowledged that for much of the second and third sets, Fritz was "the better player." Djokovic emphasized that in these high-stakes matches, "a few points decide the winner. It was fortunately coming on my side, particularly at the end of the fourth set."
Fritz, the fourth seed and the last American man left in the tournament, put up a formidable fight. He showed great resilience, saving five breakpoints in the first set and finally breaking Djokovic on his 11th attempt. He even managed to win the third set, injecting a surge of drama into the match. However, his efforts were ultimately undone by a two-for-13 breakpoint conversion rate, with his first nine break opportunities going unconverted.
The tension peaked in the final moments of the match. With Djokovic leading 5-4 in the fourth set, Fritz double-faulted on the third match point, handing the victory to the Serbian. Djokovic was sympathetic, stating, "That last game was nerve-wracking, honestly, a tough one for Taylor to finish up with a double fault. He didn’t deserve that, but a great fight and a great tournament for him."
Following the intense handshake at the net, Djokovic celebrated by performing a viral K-pop dance on the court. He later explained in his on-court interview that the dance was for his daughter, Tara, who was celebrating her eighth birthday. "Hopefully, I’ll make her smile when she wakes up tomorrow morning," he said.
Djokovic's victory not only sends him to the semifinals but also adds to his growing list of career milestones. With this win, he ties Jimmy Connors for the most US Open semifinal appearances in tournament history with 14. He also extended his own record for most Grand Slam semifinal appearances to 53, surpassing the previous record held by Chris Evert. Looking ahead, Djokovic will face Alcaraz, in what will be their first ever encounter at Flushing Meadows.
