Web desk: The US Open has its four semi-finalists: Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, and someone whom no one would have placed their bets on – Felix Auger-Aliassime. As predicted in my last article, the top three favourites have all made it to the semifinals.
Semifinal 1
Sinner obliterated his fellow Italian Lorenzo Musetti in a straight-sets victory with the scorelines reading 6-1, 6-4, 6-2. So far, the Italian has only dropped one set against Denis Shapovalov. He is firing on all cylinders, and it would take something extraordinary to stop him from defending his US Open crown. If he ends up winning the title, he will equal the grand slam tally (5) of his biggest rival, Carlos Alcaraz.
If Sinner is to reach the final and face his archrival, he will have to take care of the surprise entrant into the top 4: Felix Auger-Aliassime. No one could have predicted him beating some of the biggest names in tennis en route to his first US Open semifinal since 2021. He beat the number 3 seed, Alexander Zverev, in round 3, which was hailed as a big upset. In the 4th round, he beat hard-hitting Russian Rublev in straight sets.
No one could see him coming, and they expected him to lose at some stage, but he ended up beating the Demon Alex de Minaur too in 4 sets to book his date with Sinner. The form and crowd are on Felix’s side, but it will take something monumental to stop Sinner, who has a record of 66-1 against opponents out of the top 3 since 2024.
Felix is only one of the players who leads Sinner in their head-to-head, but Sinner handed him a thrashing in their most recent meeting at Cincinnati. Let’s hope Felix makes it interesting, but I don’t even see him taking a set off Sinner. It should be smooth sailing for the Italian, and you wouldn’t be wrong if you place your bets on him retaking the title this year.
Semifinal 2
Take your popcorn out for this one because this semifinal is going to be lit. If there is any other rivalry and matchup that comes close to the Sinner-Alcaraz one, it’s Djokovic and Alcaraz. These two have faced each other on eight occasions, with Djokovic leading their head-to-head 5-3. However, all their meetings have been blockbuster affairs.
Alcaraz has beaten him twice on the grandest stage of them all – Wimbledon in 2023 and 2024. Djokovic seemed immortal on the London grass before he met Alcaraz. But Djokovic has also landed several heavy blows to Alcaraz.
The biggest one was beating Alcaraz in the Paris Olympics final to win his first-ever gold medal. Djokovic also reigned supreme in what many tennis pundits called the match of the decade: the 2023 Cincinnati Open final.
Djokovic has also beaten him in the semifinals of this year’s Australian Open, and that is the reason no one can count the 38-year-old man out.
Djokovic has been sailing smoothly throughout this year’s US Open. He had a tough matchup against the home favourite, Taylor Fritz, but he defeated him in four sets and is looking in good shape ahead of the semifinals.
His comments in the press conference tell the whole story: “We know that they are the two best players in the world. Everybody is probably expecting and anticipating the finals between the two of them. I’m going to try to mess up the plans of most of the people”.
The 22-year-old Spaniard will not get back down from the fight. He has beaten Djokovic in the past, and he will be keen on adding another scalp to his feather against the great one as he is looking for revenge.
Alcaraz has looked the most assured and dangerous in this year’s US Open. He has dropped a single set this year (played 15, won 15). The loss against Sinner in this year’s Wimbledon final has brought out something different in Alcaraz.
He is known for playing for the audience. He takes unnecessary risks and goes for outrageous shots, often resulting in a lot of unforced errors. But during the tournament, he has restrained himself from playing such shots and has waited for his opportunities. His defensive game has gotten stronger, and it will be useful against the best defensive player in tennis history.
There will undoubtedly be many long-fought rallies and some fireworks, but expect Alcaraz to come through if he gets into his groove early. Djokovic has advanced to the semifinals in all four majors this year, but he hasn’t won a single trophy, so the pressure will be on him to play for his 25th title match on Sunday.
Concluding remarks
Another blockbuster final between the world number 1 Sinner and number 2 Alcaraz is looking imminent. They have shared the last 7 Grand Slam titles between them, which speaks volumes about the level they are playing at right now.
While most fans would want Djokovic to win the long-awaited 25th title, defeating both Alcaraz and Sinner to achieve it seems too difficult a task, even for him. But Djokovic is known for upsetting people’s plans, so count him out at your peril.
Read more: Who is favorite to win the US Open?
