The US Open has reached the semifinal stage, with four men and four women remaining in the tournament. On Friday, the remaining men will compete in two semifinal matches to determine the finalists, who will then meet on Sunday to battle for the last Grand Slam title of the year.
Defending champion Jannik Sinner has entered the semifinals on a dominant run, maintaining a 26-match unbeaten streak at hard court majors.
He has conceded only one set throughout the tournament, defeating strong opponents such as Denis Shapovalov in a come-from-behind victory and cruising past Lorenzo Musetti in the quarterfinals with a 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 win.
Sinner’s semifinal opponent, Felix Auger-Aliassime, ranked 25th, has experienced a resurgence in form. The 25-year-old Canadian stunned several seeded players, including Alexander Zverev and Andrey Rublev, to reach his first Grand Slam semifinal since 2021.
Auger-Aliassime and Sinner have met a total of four times in the past, with the Canadian winning 2 of those meetings and Sinner just winning one, with one walkover.
However, Auger-Aliassime’s last victory against Sinner was in 2022, and things have changed a lot for the world number one since then. So, Friday’s match may play out differently than in the past.
On the other side of the draw, Carlos Alcaraz will face veteran Novak Djokovic. Alcaraz enters after a strong season, including his recent triumph at the French Open where he saved multiple championship points, and a Masters 1000 title in Cincinnati.
His shotmaking skills, speed, and drop shots distinguish him as one of the most dangerous players on tour.
Djokovic, who is chasing his 25th Grand Slam title, has had a path to the semis often considered favourable given his experience. But now, he will be facing one of the best players of the new generation, and it will be interesting to see how he fares.
The Serbian already leads Alcaraz 5 -3 from their previous meetings, beating him recently at the Australian Open quarter-final in January. Alcaraz, however, has had an excellent year, and with the odds of age being on his side, he could have a successful outing on Friday.
