Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic continued their inter-generational rivalry on Friday afternoon at the US Open, where the 22-year-old Alcaraz overcame the 38-year-old Serbian 6-4, 7-6(4), 6-2 to reach his seventh major final and second in New York.
In a largely high-quality, absorbing two-hour and 25-minute clash on Arthur Ashe Stadium, Alcaraz avenged his recent losses to Djokovic at this year’s Australian Open and the 2024 Paris Olympics to stay on track for his sixth Grand Slam title and a return to No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings.
“It’s a great feeling. Once again in the final here at the US Open, it feels amazing,” Alcaraz said in his on-court interview. “It means a lot to me. Today, I’d say — it wasn’t the best level of the tournament for me, but I just kept a good level from the beginning until the last point. I served pretty well, I think that was really, really important. Trying to play a really physical match and I think I did it. In general, I played really good tennis and I’m just really happy to be able to play in my second final here.”
The Spaniard overpowered Djokovic with his ferocious hitting and showed an abundance of grit in the second set, rallying from 0-3 to take a crucial two-set lead. Alcaraz largely dictated the tempo with his weight of shot and was in control for the majority of the clash against the Serbian, who struggled physically in the third set.
With his victory, Alcaraz improved to 4-5 against Djokovic in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series and extended his winning streak to 12 matches. The second seed has advanced to the final in each of the past eight events he has played, dating back to Monte-Carlo in April. His most recent title triumph came in Cincinnati, where he lifted his eighth ATP Masters 1000 trophy last month.
Having overcome Djokovic, Alcaraz could meet Jannik Sinner in the championship match on Sunday. If the Italian defeats Felix Auger-Aliassime later on Friday and advances to the final, Alcaraz and Sinner will be the first men’s pair to face off in three major finals in one season. Alcaraz saved three championship points en route to clawing past Sinner at Roland Garros before the 24-year-old gained revenge at Wimbledon to lift his fourth major.
Most Major Finals Before Turning 23 Years Old (Open Era)
| Bjorn Borg |
8 |
| Rafael Nadal |
8 |
| Carlos Alcaraz |
7 |
| Jim Courier |
7 |
| Mats Wilander |
7 |
| Boris Becker |
6 |
| Pete Sampras |
6 |
*Alcaraz turns 23 on 5 May, 2026, meaning he could tie Borg and Nadal at next year’s Australian Open
If Sinner fails to advance to the final, Alcaraz will return to No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings on Monday for the first time since September 2023. If Sinner reaches the final, the 2022 US Open champion Alcaraz would need to lift the trophy to surpass the Italian, who has held top spot since June 2024.
With a Tour-leading 60 wins and six titles in 2025, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, Alcaraz looks in good standing to better his career-best tally of 65 wins and six trophies from 2023. The Spaniard has already stamped his ticket to the Nitto ATP Finals, held from 9-16 November in Turin.
Djokovic defeated Taylor Fritz to join Sinner as only the second man this year to reach the semi-finals at all four majors. The Serbian was chasing his first Slam final of the season and was trying to win a record-extending 25th major crown and break the recent dominance of Sinner and Alcaraz, who have won the past seven majors between them. Djokovic’s last major title came at Flushing Meadows in 2023, when he beat Daniil Medvedev in the final. The 38-year-old holds a 37-16 record in major semi-finals and is a four-time US Open champion.
In front of a packed crowd in New York, Alcaraz flew out of the blocks to break Djokovic’s serve in the opening game. Despite a couple of scorching backhand winners from Djokovic, Alcaraz was in control for the majority of the first set. He forced the Serbian off balance at times with his weight of shot, frequently striking his forehand at more than 80 mph to dictate. Djokovic also struggled for consistency behind his first serve, winning just 65 per cent (13/20) of points on his first delivery.
Djokovic found his first decisive blow of the match when he broke Alcaraz after the 22-year-old went long on the backhand. However, from 3-0, he was unable to keep the second seed at bay. Alcaraz conjured up a break point at 2-3 when he held his ground to flick a forehand winner crosscourt and then converted his opportunity to level.
The Spaniard committed more unforced errors than Djokovic in the set and showed signs of frustration at times when he misfired on the usually reliable drop shot. Yet, he stuck to the task at hand and was aggressive in the tie-break, standing close to the baseline to open his shoulders and drive through the court.
Djokovic received treatment on his shoulder at the start of the third set and, visibly tiring, surrendered his serve again when he threw in a double fault at 1-2. Alcaraz refused to let up, striking cleanly to soar to the finish line. Alcaraz ended with a 31-30 winner-to-unforced errors count, while Djokovic recorded a 15-30 tally. The Serbian also won just 66 per cent of his first-serve points compared to Alcaraz’s 84 per cent.
Players Who Have Reached US Open Final Without Dropping a Set (Since 2000)
| Carlos Alcaraz |
2025 |
| Roger Federer |
2015 |
| Rafael Nadal |
2010 |
| Lleyton Hewitt |
2004 |
Did You Know?
Alcaraz is just the fifth man in the Open Era to reach seven Grand Slam finals before turning 23, joining an elite group that includes Bjorn Borg, Rafael Nadal, Mats Wilander and Jim Courier. The 22-year-old has not dropped a set at this year’s US Open.
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