Balled physically by the outgoing finalist in New York Taylor Fritz (4th at ATP), Novak Djokovic was more realistic than the American to win in four sets in the quarter-finals of the US Open: 6-3, 7-5, 3-6, 6-4.
He celebrated his victory by sketching a few dance steps for his daughter, who has just celebrated his birthday far from his father. “It was an incredibly tight match, I was lucky to rule out several break balls at major times in the second set. During most of the second and third sets, Fritz was the best player on the court, “said a djokovic relieved to have maintained his dream of a 25th Grand Chelem title alive.
In the first two sets, Fritz nevertheless thought that, “I find that he made many more mistakes than usual and I had so many break balls. So normally, I cannot come out of these first two sets led two sleeves to nothing. I have to play better ”.
Novak Djokovic will find Friday in the last square on the world N.2 Carlos Alcaraz, which he had dominated in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open in January during their last confrontation. “The next two days will be really crucial to put my body in condition, prepare it to fight for five sets if necessary,” said the Serb. “In any case, I will not hoist the white flag when entering the court,” promised the Serb.
Eliminated last year in the second round, Alcaraz returned to New York the knife between his teeth and won 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 against the Czech Jiri Lehecka (21st).
Often portrayed as an inconsistent player, guilty of sudden releases in the middle of a match, Alcaraz held the three sets during, as in the previous towers, and conceded any break ball.
In search of the world’s number one place, Alcaraz is sure to dethrone Jannik Sinner if he wins the title in New York.
“It’s really hard not to think” instead of number 1, admitted Alcaraz after his victory. “But every time I enter the court, I try not to have it in mind. If I thought about it too much, I would put myself a lot of pressure, “he added.
This Wednesday, the last two quarter-finals will oppose Jannik Sinner to Lorenzo Musetti (10th) and Alex de Minaur (8th) to Felix Auger-Aliassime (27th).
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