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Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic will play the US Open 2025 semifinals against Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz on Friday.
Novak Djokovic has played in the US Open final ten times in his career, and at the age of 38, he will have the opportunity to fight for the title for the 11th time at the last Grand Slam of the season. To achieve this, he first needs to defeat Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, who only reached the US Open final in 2022, when he won the tournament.
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Alcaraz's journey to the semifinal
Carlos Alcaraz thrilled Arthur Ashe Stadium with a dominant display against Jiri Lehecka on Tuesday, cruising into the semifinals of the US Open for the second time in his career. The 22-year-old Spaniard won 6-4, 6-2, 6-4, mixing flair with power and engaging the crowd with finger wags, ear-cupping gestures, and highlight-reel net play.
The victory marks Alcaraz’s first hard-court semifinal at a Grand Slam since his breakthrough US Open triumph in 2023. He is now a nine-time major semifinalist, joining rarefied company at such a young age, only Rafael Nadal (10) has reached more before turning 23.
Djokovic's journey to the semifinal
Novak Djokovic has defeated Taylor Fritz in four sets in Tuesday night’s other quarterfinal. The semifinal will be their first meeting at the US Open since Alcaraz’s breakthrough victory in 2023.
Djokovic, 38, leads their head-to-head 5-3 and has won the last two matchups in the Australian Open quarterfinals in January and in the Paris Olympics final, where he claimed the long-awaited gold medal.
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US Open 2025: Novak Djokovic vs Carlos Alcaraz Head-to-head
The Serbian ace and the Spaniard are meeting for the ninth time. In the previous eight matches, Novak won five times, and Carlos three times. Their last match was in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open this year, when the Serbian ace was better. It was also their only match this year. This will also be their first time playing at the US Open.
- Mutua Madrid Open 2022: Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz's head-to-heads began in 2022 at the Mutua Madrid Open. Alcaraz was crowned winner of the Mutua Madrid Open in 2022. Before beating Alexander Zverev in the final, he faced Novak Djokovic in the previous match, just after beating Rafael Nadal for the first time. He also became the youngest player to reach the final of the Mutua.
- French Open 2023 Semifinal: The clay of Roland Garros hosted the first duel between Alcaraz and Djokovic in a Grand Slam. Alcaraz was cramping in his right hand and quadriceps. Even so, he held on to the court, but the rest of the match was a walkover for Djokovic.
- Wimbledon 2023 Final: A month later, Alcaraz and Djokovic met again, this time in the Wimbledon final. Alcaraz became the third youngest player in the Open Era to be crowned at the cathedral after four hours and 42 minutes.
- Cincinnati Open 2023 Final: Cincinnati hosted the first hard-court duel between Djokovic and Alcaraz, with the title at stake. Djokovic won in the tiebreak to claim victory in 3 hours and 49 minutes. It was the longest final in Ohio history and the longest three-set final since 1990.
- ATP Finals 2023 Semifinals: The semi-finals of the 2023 ATP Finals saw the least close encounter between Djokovic and Alcaraz to date. The Serb won in straight sets 6-3, 6-2.
- Wimbledon 2024 Final: For the second year in a row, Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz were fighting for the title at the London tournament. Alcaraz dominated from start to finish and overpowered his rival in three sets in two hours and 30 minutes. He won his fourth Grand Slam title and became the sixth man to complete the Roland Garros-Wimbledon double.
- Paris Olympics 2024 Final: 21 days after Wimbledon, Alcaraz and Djokovic met in the final of the Paris Olympics. Novak was looking for gold to give more luster to his record. He saved as many as eight break points in the first set and won the game 7-6(3), 7-6(2).
- Australian Open 2025 Quarterfinals: The last duel between Alcaraz and Djokovic came at the last Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of this year. They met in the quarter-finals. Djokovic won the match despite physically touched after a stretch to reach a ball.