Novak Djokovic extended his dominance over American Taylor Fritz with a 6-3, 7-5, 3-6, 6-4 victory on Tuesday, booking a US Open semifinal clash with Carlos Alcaraz.
The 38-year-old Serb, chasing a record 25th Grand Slam title, improved to 11-0 against Fritz and 16-0 against American opponents at Flushing Meadows. Still, he admitted the match was tighter than the score suggested.
“It was an incredibly close match. It was really anybody’s match. I thought I was lucky to really save crucial breakpoints in the second set,” Djokovic said. “For most of the second and third set he was the better player. In these kinds of matches, few points decide the winner.”
Fritz, the last American man standing in the draw, pushed hard and captured the third set with stronger serving, but Djokovic’s composure carried him through. The match ended on a Fritz double fault.
“That last game was nerve-wracking… He didn’t deserve that, but great fight and great tournament for him,” Djokovic added.
After sealing the win, Djokovic celebrated with a K-pop–inspired dance dedicated to his daughter Tara, who was celebrating her birthday.
“The dance in the end, she’s going to rate me tomorrow on how good the dance was,” he said. “She told me how to dance… Hopefully I’ll make her smile when she wakes up tomorrow morning.”