Novak Djokovic used his experience to overcome American Ben Shelton as the Serbian battled past his 20-year-old challenger 6-3 6-2 7-6(4) to reach his 10th U.S. Open final on Arthur Ashe Stadium on Friday. Shelton had flummoxed opponents in New York with his big serve but the 36-year-old second seed Djokovic was able to harness his experience to neutralize a third-set surge from the young American. The Associated Press has the story:
Novak Djokovic beat Ben Shelton to reach US Open Final
Newslooks- NEW YORK (AP)
Novak Djokovic limited big-serving Ben Shelton to five aces and broke him five times. He pushed back when the 20-year-old unseeded American produced a late stand that got the home crowd into the match.
And after finishing off a 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 (4) victory to reach his record-tying 10th U.S. Open final, Djokovic added a touch of insult to injury by mimicking the kid’s “Hang up the phone!” celebration gesture.
Djokovic then pointed to his temple and pounded his fist on his chest, before a stone-faced Shelton met him at the net for the most perfunctory of handshakes. A year after Djokovic could not travel to the United States for the Open because he is not vaccinated against COVID-19, the 36-year-old from Serbia is one victory away from a fourth title at Flushing Meadows and 24th Grand Slam championship overall.
“These are the kind of matches and occasions that I still thrive on. They still get me going and inspire me to wake up and work hard like the young guys,” said Djokovic, who would be the oldest man to win the U.S. Open in the professional era, which began in 1968.
“I still feel I have something in my legs left,” he said. “I still feel I have something to give to the sport.”
Shelton made things interesting in the third set, lifting his level of play as Djokovic seemed to get a bit tight as the finish line neared. Shelton broke twice, even held a set point at 5-4 and erased a match point on the way to forcing the concluding tiebreaker. But Djokovic, always so tough at the toughest moments, pulled out the win.
On Sunday, he will face either defending champion Carlos Alcaraz — who defeated Djokovic for the Wimbledon title in July — or 2021 U.S. Open champ Daniil Medvedev.
“Of course, I expect the toughest match of the tournament for me,” said Djokovic, who fell one win shy of a calendar-year Grand Slam when Medvedev beat him in the final two years ago, “regardless of who’s going to be across the net.”
If Djokovic does end up leaving with the hardware this time, he would break a tie with Serena Williams for the most major singles championships in the Open era.
No matter who the opponent or what the outcome is in the final, No. 2 seed Djokovic will replace No. 1 Alcaraz atop the ATP rankings on Monday.
