Released on September 6, 2025
Second-seeded Carlos Alkaraz beat 24x winner Novak Djokovic 6-4 7-6(4) 6-2 to reach the US Open Final with clinical accuracy, winning the highly anticipated showdown packed with Arthur Ashe Stadium homes.
Friday’s match was billed as New York’s hottest ticket, endured hype, and had a scoreline that backed up its strength as 2022 champion Alcaraz immersed in deafening cheers at match points.
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Djokovic won two recent meetings, including the Australian Open quarterfinals earlier this year, but the 38-year-old showed wear and tears against his junior 16-year-old Spaniard.
“That’s what I’m working on: just consistency in matches, tournaments, general years,” said Alcaraz, who won the fifth major title at Roland Garros this year and ranner-up at Wimbledon.
“We just don’t have any ups and downs in the match. We just wanted to keep that level high throughout the match just by starting the match.”
Djokovic dropped serves when he sent a shot past the baseline in the opening game, failing to set a single breakpoint chance in the first set.
The 7th seed, prompted by a stand filled with celebrities, took part in the fight in the second set and sent a great backhand to convert at breakpoints in the second game.
But Alcaraz hadn’t dropped a set in New York before and wasn’t trying to start when he stepped into the gas.
0-2 on the tiebreaker, Djokovic lasted his opponents in a cheeky exchange in the net and paused to take over the crowd’s roar.
However, the Spaniards kept his nerves and concluded the tiebreak with two more irreparable serves before Djokovic gave him a breakpoint with a double fault in the fourth game of the third set.
“To be honest, it’s not easy to play against him,” said Alkaraz, who hit a winner twice as many times his opponents.
“I think about legends, what he accomplished in his career. It’s hard not to think about that, so it’s going to be even tougher.”
The writing was on Djokovic’s wall as he hit another double fault at the penultimate point of the match, and he leaned over the net as he congratulated his opponent with a laugh after handing the contest with a wide forehand.
“Of course, when you can’t physically catch up to that level, it’s frustrating in court. But at the same time, that’s what you’d expect,” said Djokovic, who won the last four US open titles in 2023.
“It comes with time and age.”
The sinner overcomes the challenge of the energetic Auger Aliasim
Defending champion Jannik Sinner set up another blockbuster title Clash with Alcaraz, past 25th seed Felix Auger-Aliasme 6-1 3-6 6-3 6-4 in the second semi-final, and updated one of the sport’s most compelling rivals.
Shortly after Alkaraz rocked the magic and dismantled Djokovic, a normally machine-like sinner sometimes failed, but won to secure a third consecutive major final with the Spaniards.
Italian World No. faced a brief resistance in the fifth match of the contest, but when Auger Ariasime sent a backhand wide, he held a biased opening set and dialed the enveloping strength.
Auger Ariasime calmed his nerves in the second New York semi-finals and took a 5-3 lead in the next set on the way to leveling out the match before seducing the sinner to the toes in the third set.
The sinner who previously took a medical timeout due to an unspecified problem discovered that his groove was closing the third set, stopped a strong challenge from his revitalized Canadian enemies and offered several clutches to advance in the next set.
The Sinner will face off against Alkaraz for the third consecutive Grand Slam final on Sunday. He won the Australian Open and Wimbledon titles this season, but lost to Alcaraz in an epic five-set battle at the French Open Finals.
“Sunday is a very special day and once again a great final,” Sinner said. “It feels like our rivalry has begun playing an incredible match here (in 2022). We are two different players now and we are confident.”
