Carlos Alcaraz defeated Novak Djokovic in straight sets on 6 September to reach his second US Open final and strengthen his claim as the leading force in men’s tennis.
The 22-year-old Spaniard, seeded second, sealed a 6-4, 7-6, 6-2 victory in just under three hours at Arthur Ashe Stadium. He struck immediately by breaking Djokovic in the opening game and went on to take the first set with authority.
Djokovic, 38, briefly rallied in the second set, racing into a 3-0 lead as the New York crowd urged him on. Yet Alcaraz recovered with composure, breaking back and edging the tie-break 7-4 to move within touching distance of the final. A double fault from Djokovic at 1-2 in the third handed Alcaraz the decisive break, and the Spaniard pressed home his advantage to close out the contest.
This victory sends Alcaraz into his seventh Grand Slam final and third in succession in 2025. He has already won Roland Garros this year and finished runner-up at Wimbledon, and now has a chance to claim a sixth career major.
Alcaraz’s record in New York now stands at 23-3, with the 2022 champion bidding for his second US Open crown. Overall, he holds a Grand Slam win-loss record of 83-13 and has triumphed in five of his six previous finals.
Since 2024, men’s tennis has been dominated by the duel between Alcaraz and world number one Jannik Sinner. Should Sinner overcome Felix Auger-Aliassime in the other semi-final, the pair will once again contest a major final, with Alcaraz able to reclaim the number one ranking with victory on Sunday.
For Djokovic, the defeat marked his fourth successive Grand Slam semi-final exit in 2025. The 24-time major champion, competing in his 53rd career semi-final at a Slam, ends the year with a 20-4 record at the majors. Once a dominant presence at this stage, he has now lost twice in succession to Alcaraz, raising fresh questions about his ability to consistently overcome the sport’s new generation.
Despite this, Djokovic remains formidable, boasting an overall Grand Slam record of 397-55. But Alcaraz has now beaten him four times in nine meetings, underlining the shift in momentum.
At 22 years and 111 days, Alcaraz is the second-youngest player in the Open Era to reach men’s singles finals on all three surfaces in a single season, behind only Bjorn Borg in 1978. He is also the third-youngest player to reach seven Grand Slam finals, older only than Borg and Rafael Nadal.