No. 2 seed Novak Djokovic set another record by sailing past No. 9 seed Taylor Fritz 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 at the U.S. Open quarterfinals on Tuesday in New York.
Djokovic reached the 47th Grand Slam semifinal of his career, surpassing Roger Federer’s previous record.
“Obviously, this is a sport that has given me so much in my life,” Djokovic said. “There’s a lot of things that I’m very grateful for. Obviously, it’s a huge opportunity every time I step out on the court at this stage. I’m trying to enjoy every opportunity as much as I can.”
The Serbian had to cope with not only Fritz but also an American crowd that is rooting for an American man to win a Grand Slam title for the first time in 20 years. Andy Roddick won the 2003 U.S. Open before the drought began.
“It’s expected of course that people are backing the home player. I’m fine with that,” Djokovic said. “I actually thrive on that energy. Whatever that energy is, try to use it as a fuel to play my best tennis.”
Djokovic isn’t through playing American opponents. In the semifinals, he will face unseeded Ben Shelton, who upset No. 10 seed Frances Tiafoe 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (7), 6-2 in an all-U.S. quarterfinal match late Tuesday night.
Fritz outdid Djokovic in aces, 8-7, and won 36 of his 49 first-service points (73.5 percent). But Djokovic saved 10 of 12 break points and broke Fritz’s serve six times in nine opportunities.
The third set was 3-3 before each player lost his serve, first Fritz and then Djokovic. But Djokovic dropped just one point in the ninth game to break Fritz again and went on to win on his second match point.
Fritz has yet to defeat a top-10 player at a Grand Slam event. This was just his second trip to a Grand Slam quarterfinal, the other coming at Wimbledon in 2022.
Djokovic has won 23 Grand Slam titles, a men’s record, including three U.S. Opens (2011, 2015, 2018). Four of his five victories this tournament have come in straight sets; he also rallied from two sets down to beat Serbian No. 32 seed Laslo Djere in the third round.
Shelton, a 20-year-old University of Florida product, is headed for his first career Grand Slam semifinal. His previous best result at a major came when he reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open earlier this year. Shelton hadn’t won more than one match in an ATP Tour-level tournament since leaving Melbourne.
On Tuesday, the left-hander saved a set point with a forehand winner in the third-set tiebreaker.
“Sometimes you have to shut off your brain, close your eyes and just swing,” Shelton said in his postmatch interview on court. “Maybe it was a little bit of that down set point, but it ended up working out. Some may say clutch, but I don’t know about all that.”
Shelton wound up with a decided edge against Tiafoe in winners (50-33) while the two ended up nearly even in unforced errors (34 for Shelton, 33 for Tiafoe).
Asked about facing Djokovic next, Shelton said, “It doesn’t get much better than that. It’s been tough the past two matches I’ve been playing Americans, but hopefully (the fans) bring it for me two nights from now.”
–Field Level Media
