Alcaraz Dominates Djokovic in US Open Semifinal, Advances to Title Match

Carlos Alcaraz continued his stupendous run of form, advancing to the US Open 2025 men’s singles final after defeating 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic. In a largely one-sided semifinal on Friday, September 5, Alcaraz needed just two hours and 23 minutes to register a 6-4, 7-6 (4), 6-2 victory at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

The Spaniard returned to the US Open final for the first time since his breakthrough triumph as a teenager in 2022. This marks his eighth consecutive final on the ATP Tour. The clash also represented the first-ever meeting between Alcaraz and Djokovic at Flushing Meadows, with Alcaraz claiming his maiden win over the Serb on hard courts.

US Open 2025 semi-finals Updates

In Sunday’s grand finale on September 7, Alcaraz will face either World No.1 Jannik Sinner or Felix Auger-Aliassime. A win would not only hand him his second US Open crown but also see him dethrone Sinner to reclaim the World No.1 ranking.

“It’s a great feeling to reach the US Open final once again. It means a lot to me. It may not have been my best performance of the tournament, but I maintained a solid level from start to finish,” Alcaraz said in the on-court interview.

"My serve was strong today, which I think was really important. I tried to play a physical match, and I believe I did that well. Overall, I played some really good tennis, and I’m very happy to be in my second US Open final,” Alcaraz added.

Alcaraz breezes past Djokovic

Carlos Alcaraz made a perfect start, breaking World No.1 Novak Djokovic in the very first game to go 1-0 up. Djokovic saved one break point at 30-40 but couldn’t hold off the Spaniard a second time. In the third game, Djokovic overcame a brief scare, fending off a break point at 30-40 to finally get on the scoreboard. However, he was unable to recover the early break, as Alcaraz wrapped up the opening set in just 48 minutes.

Djokovic, however, did not retreat into his shell and responded in the same fashion Alcaraz had in the opening set. The Serb broke his opponent’s serve and quickly extended his lead to 3-0, displaying flashes of his very best. Alcaraz, though, struck back immediately with his second break of the match before drawing level at 3-3.

He eventually pushed the set into a tie-breaker, and once he surged ahead 2-0, he never looked back. Djokovic attempted to close the gap, but Alcaraz refused to let him dictate the terms. From there, the odds were firmly against Djokovic, as Alcaraz held a remarkable 52-0 record in Grand Slam matches after winning the first two sets.

In the third set, with a 2-1 lead, Alcaraz earned his third break of the match to move ahead 3-1 and quickly stretched it to 4-1. From there, it was only a matter of time before Djokovic folded. Barring the second set, where he trailed 0-3, Alcaraz never looked under serious pressure. He sealed the contest with a fourth break of serve to close out the match.