Novak Djokovic outlasts Taylor Fritz in four sets to reach US Open semifinal

Djokovic solves Fritz again, survives a surge, and moves on

Same opponent, same outcome. Under the lights at Arthur Ashe Stadium, Novak Djokovic extended his perfect record against Taylor Fritz to 11-0, winning 6-3, 7-5, 3-6, 6-4 to reach another US Open semifinal and keep the chase for major No. 25 very much alive. It took just under three hours of sharp serving, stubborn defense, and nerves of steel from the 38-year-old, who steadied after a mid-match wobble to close the door on the top American.

Djokovic landed the first blow early. He broke in the opening stretch and rode that edge through a composed first set that he controlled with depth on the return and tidy holds. Fritz had a window at 5-3, 40-15, when he earned back-to-back break points and whipped the crowd into full voice, but Djokovic wriggled out with a gutsy sequence that included a 25-shot rally he won leaning into a backhand down the line. It set the tone: whenever a point stretched, the Serbian made it feel like a treadmill for Fritz.

The second set looked headed for a routine finish at 5-4 with Djokovic serving, but Fritz finally cracked through. He attacked a second serve, stepped inside the baseline, and punched a forehand return to level the set at 5-all. It felt like a turning point—until it wasnt. In the very next game, Fritz double-faulted twice, handing the break right back. Djokovic cleaned up the rest, 7-5, to stand a set from the finish.

To Fritzs credit, he didnt fold. He raised his first-serve percentage in the third, thumped forehands into Djokovics backhand corner, and kept points short. An early break gave him breathing room, and for the first time all night he controlled the tempo. He protected that lead with confident holds and closed the set, 6-3, behind a string of first-strike points. Djokovics level dipped a touch, his movement looked tighter, and the match opened up.

The fourth set turned into a test of nerve. For nine games they traded holds, with Djokovic probing on the return and Fritz threading high-risk first serves to stay even. Serving at 4-5 to extend the match, Fritz fell behind 15-40, saved two match points with bold baseline hitting, then blinked. A final double fault—his timing deserting him again—handed Djokovic the match, a win built on resilience more than flourish.

Djokovics assessment courtside matched the vibe: 001cincredibly close001d for long stretches, with Fritz the better player for much of sets two and three. The numbers sum it up, too. Fritz went just 2-for-13 on break points, a brutal conversion rate against someone of Djokovics caliber. Djokovic didnt dominate every phase, but he took the right moments by force or by calm, and that was the difference.

• Head-to-head: Djokovic leads Fritz 11-0.
• Break points: Fritz 2/13; Djokovic punished the key misses.
• Signature rally: A grinding 25-shot exchange at set ones end that flipped momentum.
• Milestone: This is Djokovics 53rd major semifinal.

Beyond the scoreline, this was a reminder of why Djokovic keeps lining up late in Slams at an age most peers are coaching or commentating. He picked targets ruthlessly—Fritzs backhand corner when stretched, the body on key returns, the deuce-court slider out wide to open the court—and shifted gears when points demanded it. When Fritz tried to rush him, Djokovic absorbed the hit and redirected. When rallies slogged into physical chess, he tightened the screws and waited for the miss.

Fritz carried plenty into this one. Hes the top-ranked American, he had been serving huge all fortnight, and his forehand was a wrecking ball once he took the ball early. He had the crowd riled and the match on his tempo for an hour. But the fine margins that haunt underdogs against Djokovic showed up again: a missed return here, a pushed second serve there, and those two late double faults that left him staring at the baseline in disbelief. Against a 24-time champion, the bill always comes due.

Djokovic managed something else, too: his body. He came into New York dealing with a neck issue and a blister on his right toe, and while he moved well, there were moments he flexed the neck and sought quick towel breaks after long exchanges. Still, even with those nags, hes now dropped just three sets across five matches at this US Open—two in the first four rounds and one tonight—and has kept points under control when he needed to.

Arthur Ashe added its usual chaos. New Yorks late-night energy turned up the pressure on every big moment. It got loud after Fritzs break in the second set, and even louder when he surged in the third. Djokovic, who knows this stadium as well as anyone—champion in 2011, 2015, 2018, and 2023—trusted his experience to ride those waves. Survive the noise, survive the stress, move on.

Zoom out, and the run keeps stacking up. This is another semifinal in a season where hes reached the last four at all four majors—now seven times in his career hes done that. At 38, thats hard to process. Its part longevity, part problem-solving, and part refusal to give away an inch when the legs dont feel perfect.

Whats next: the Alcaraz showdown everyone circled

Waiting next: Carlos Alcaraz. Djokovic leads their head-to-head 5-3, and every one of those matches felt like a summit meeting. Their styles clash in all the right ways—Alcaraz bringing lightning speed, heavy topspin, and fearless net rushes; Djokovic bringing the return, the angles, and the ability to turn a neutral rally into a trap. Its the generational duel tennis keeps coming back to.

For Djokovic, the strategic checklist against Alcaraz is familiar. Make the youngster serve under pressure. Get a foothold on second serves early in each set. Stretch him with backhand crosscourt patterns until the short forehand appears, then pounce down the line. Most of all, keep the match clean in the big moments—no cheap errors at 30-all and no let-up after breaks. If the points become lung-busting sprints, Djokovic will happily play them; he just prefers to choreograph the chaos.

Alcaraz will bring something different than Fritz: more variety, heavier spin that pushes Djokovic off the baseline, and quicker counters off the backhand wing. Hell also challenge Djokovics legs more with drop shots, transition plays, and quick strikes down the line. It demands the full defensive kit and the full tactical plan.

Whats certain is the stage. The last time they shared a court at this level, it felt like a final even when it wasnt. Expect the same noise here. Djokovic knows the stakes—a shot at a fifth US Open title and a record-extending 25th major—and hes treated every round like part of that march. Alcaraz, already a multi-Slam champion in his early 20s, isnt intimidated by the moment. Hell try to take it from the first ball.

Before that, a nod to Fritz. Hes had a strong year, and for a set and a half in this match he looked like the guy who could punch through the wall that Djokovic has kept in place against him for years. Hes got the tools—serve, forehand, improved movement—and this run should keep him inside the top tier heading into the fall. But the lesson is the same as its been for almost a decade against Djokovic: you dont get 10 minutes off. If you do, the match is gone.

The semifinal bracket now has its marquee. Djokovic arrives battle-tested yet efficient, sharper than he needed to be and fresh enough for another fistfight. Hes still shaping his best level, and the scoreboard, as usual, shows no mercy: win the key rallies, win the key games, and New York opens the door yet again.