Day 12 of the 2023 US Open finds four of the best in men’s tennis still standing, as each continues his quest to stand alone. Three of today’s combatants have experienced the singular thrill of finishing first in Flushing; one is especially eager to join that most elite of fraternities.
First up, three-time US Open champion Novak Djokovic takes on party crasher Ben Shelton, then defending champ Carlos Alcaraz squares off with 2021 US Open winner Daniil Medvedev. The last time three former US Open champions advanced to the semifinals here was in 2018 with Juan Martin del Potro, Djokovic and Rafael Nadal all reaching the penultimate round. Two matches removed from tennis’ toughest title, each of today’s competitors will be breaking out his Friday finest—all determined to push on toward Sunday afternoon. To get there, each will need to be semi-tough.
There’s a special element to Djokovic’s pursuit of seven matches across this Flushing fortnight, as a fourth US Open singles crown will give the 36-year-old Serb a total of 24 Grand Slam singles titles, tying the all-time mark long held by Australia’s Margaret Court. Winner of both the Aussie Open and Roland Garros this year, Djokovic might well be here competing for the Grand Slam—as he was during his last visit to Flushing in 2021—were he not halted in the Wimbledon final by Alcaraz.
This is the second seed’s 47th career major semifinal and his 13th at the US Open. And he’s gotten here in relatively easy fashion, dropping just two sets along the way. In his third-round meeting with countryman Laslo Djere, Djokovic found himself down a pair before roaring back to win in five. Since then, the tests have been few. He’s won 91% of his service games—second only to Alcaraz among today’s semifinalists—and 78% of his first-serve points.
Standing in the way of history today is a guy who was studying it not so long ago. Shelton, the 2022 NCAA singles champion while at the University of Florida, has used this year’s US Open as something of an extended graduation ceremony, quickly establishing himself among the best in the game. The 20-year-old showed flashes of his budding brilliance in January, reaching the quarters at the Australian Open, but there was nothing on his resume to suggest that he might put together such a remarkable drive here. And yet he has, ousting countrymen Tommy Paul and Frances Tiafoe back-to-back with dominant performances that belied his birth certificate.
He’s the youngest American man to reach the US Open semifinals since Michael Chang in 1992, and win or lose today, he’ll leave New York firmly ensconced inside the men’s Top 20.
This first meeting of remarkable men promises to be a good one—one of the sport’s all-time greats vs. a guy whose greatness is rapidly growing. Shelton will need to serve huge (his 76 aces so far are a tournament best) and dictate play if he’s to have a chance of upsetting the second seed. Of course, Djokovic seldom takes dictation. Give Shelton a set, but give Djokovic the win. In four, he’s on to the final.
Top-seeded Alcaraz knows a thing or two about utilizing the great stage of the US Open as a personal coming-out party. The 20-year-old Spaniard burst into the sport’s upper echelon here last year, becoming the youngest US Open men’s champion in history at 19, after which he ascended to the top spot in the men’s game.
He’s only padded his resume since then, this year winning six singles titles—including a second Slam at Wimbledon—while compiling an ATP Tour-best 58-6 record through five rounds here. Since the beginning of last year’s US Open, Alcaraz owns a 24-1 record in Grand Slam tournaments, his only loss coming to Djokovic in the semis of Roland Garros in June.
Here, he’s made an emphatic advance, losing just a single set in five matches. He’s cashed in 43% of his break point opportunities so far, while staving off 84% of break chances against him. Alcaraz’s 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 dismissal of No. 12 seed Alexander Zverev in the quarters was the stuff of clinics, showcasing the sort of focus and fire that generally translate into success here in Flushing.
He’ll need all of that again Medvedev, whose win here in 2021 was his first—and so far only—Grand Slam singles crown. That said, the 27-year-old is a four-time major finalist, twice here and twice more in Australia. The former champ is completely at home on the hard floors of Flushing, his 28-5 career mark and .848 winning percentage at the US Open representing his best performance at any of the four Slams.
What’s more, his 37-5 hard-court record in 2023 is best on the ATP Tour, and four of his five titles this year have come on hard courts. If anyone can handle the hard stuff, it’s Medvedev.
But whether he can handle Alcaraz is a whole different question. The Spaniard owns a slim 2-1 edge in career meetings, with two of those wins coming this year, on a hard court at Indian Wells in the spring and on Wimbledon’s grass this summer.
This should be a marvelous matchup; two major talents who own major titles, both of whom have the ability to raise their games at major moments. It just seems that when they go head-to-head, Alcaraz has the ability to raise things just a little bit more. In an entertaining four, the defending champ is back in the final.
