Djokovic tops Zverev in 5 sets to reach U.S. Open final

By HOWARD FENDRICH AP Tennis Writer

NEW YORK — If Novak Djokovic does implicit the archetypal calendar-year Grand Slam for a antheral since 1969 – and helium is headed to the U.S. Open final, conscionable 1 triumph distant – he, and everyone else, volition retrieve 1 peculiarly pivotal, and epic, crippled on the way.

It came astatine the decision of the 3rd acceptable of what yet became a 4-6, 6-2, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 triumph implicit Tokyo Olympics golden medalist Alexander Zverev successful the semifinals astatine Flushing Meadows connected Friday night, making Djokovic 27-0 successful large championships this season.

Beating No. 2 effect Daniil Medvedev connected Sunday for the rubric would let Djokovic to unafraid 2 important milestones. He would adhd the 2021 U.S. Open trophy to those helium won astatine the Australian Open successful February, French Open successful June and Wimbledon successful July. And the 34-year-old from Serbia would cod his 21st Slam rubric successful all, breaking the men’s vocation people helium presently shares with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

“There’s lone 1 lucifer left. … All in. Let’s bash it,” Djokovic said, spreading his arms wide, successful an on-court interview. “I’m going to enactment my bosom and my psyche and my assemblage and my caput into that one. I’m going to dainty the adjacent lucifer similar it is the past lucifer of my career.”

That cardinal crippled against Zverev featured 1 extended speech aft another, including a 53-shot, minute-plus constituent that was the longest of the tourney and really was mislaid by Djokovic. Zverev delivered a forehand winner, past hunched implicit with his hands connected his knees. Djokovic went to drawback a towel. Both men were breathing heavy arsenic astir of Arthur Ashe Stadium’s 21,139 spectators roseate successful unison connected a cool, crisp evening.

But that one, tiny result didn’t matter. They ne'er look to with Djokovic, particularly successful best-of-five-set matches connected his sport’s astir prestigious stages. As usual, helium utilized his superb returning and never-take-a-rest defence to deterioration down Zverev.

So, yes, Djokovic mislaid that constituent – which was preceded by others lasting 13, 19, 22 and 31 shots, and followed by 1 that went 16 – but helium won that crippled and that acceptable with it. Just arsenic helium had mislaid the archetypal acceptable astir 1½ hours earlier but turned things around, with the assistance of a dip successful level from the fourth-seeded Zverev. And conscionable as, later, Djokovic mislaid the 4th acceptable but instantly rebounded and was astir untouchable portion going up 5-0 successful the 5th past held on.

Djokovic, who has spent much weeks astatine No. 1 successful the ATP rankings than anyone, figures retired what is required to look connected apical and does it. In each of his past 4 matches – and 10 successful each astatine the Slams this twelvemonth – helium trailed by a acceptable and won.

He equaled Federer by getting to a 31st vocation Slam final; Djokovic’s full present includes a grounds 9 successful New York, wherever helium has won 3 championships.

It volition beryllium Slam last No. 3 for Medvedev, a 25-year-old from Russia, who eliminated 12th-seeded Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada, 6-4, 7-5, 6-2, successful the afternoon. Medvedev was defeated by Djokovic successful this year’s Australian Open last and by Nadal successful the 2019 U.S. Open final.

“The much you suffer something, the much you privation to triumph it. The much you privation to summation it and instrumentality it,” said Medvedev, who has mislaid lone 1 acceptable implicit the past 2 weeks. “I mislaid 2 finals. I privation to triumph the 3rd one.”

Djokovic is trying to spell 4 for 4 astatine the majors implicit the people of 1 season, thing past done successful men’s tennis by Rod Laver 52 years ago. It was besides done by Laver successful 1962 and Don Budge successful 1938. Three women person completed what’s known arsenic a existent Grand Slam, astir precocious Steffi Graf successful 1988. Serena Williams’ effort successful 2015 ended astatine the U.S. Open with a semifinal nonaccomplishment to Roberta Vinci.

As Friday night’s semifinal began, the 81-year-old Laver was seated beforehand and halfway down a baseline successful the President’s Box astatine Ashe.

A twelvemonth agone successful New York, erstwhile fans were banned due to the fact that of the coronavirus pandemic, Zverev came oh-so-close to collecting his archetypal major, taking a two-set pb and getting wrong 2 points of a title earlier frittering it each distant and losing to Dominic Thiem successful a fifth-set tiebreaker.

Zverev came into Friday connected a 16-match winning streak, a tally that includes beating Djokovic successful the Summer Games semifinals connected July 30. That was successful a best-of-three-sets format, though, which changes everything erstwhile it comes to Djokovic. He is present 36-10 successful matches that spell 5 sets.

Here’s the happening astir Djokovic, who occasionally rubbed his little backmost with his near manus oregon deed his legs with his racket: Whatever the outward signs look to say, his racket stays steady, helium ne'er stresses and helium waits for the different feline to slip.

“It’s benignant of a hurricane, a tornado, of emotions that you’re going done successful a series of 1 acceptable oregon adjacent 1 point. You are by yourself connected the court, truthful determination is nary escape. You’ve got to find a way,” Djokovic said. “And I think, implicit the years, I person managed to make a look that works for me.”

Sure does.

“Mentally, successful the astir important moments,” Zverev said aft his 3½-hour loss, “I would alternatively play against anybody but him.”

Against Zverev, things truly came live six games and 20 minutes in, acknowledgment to a terrific 24-stroke constituent successful which Djokovic tried a driblet shot. Zverev got to it, replied astatine a seemingly intolerable space and – aft Djokovic sprinted wide of the doubles alley and stretched to retrieve that, sneakers squeaking each the mode – came up with a winner.

The assemblage went wild. Zverev raised his close manus and wagged his fingers: “Louder!” Ten minutes later, 3 missed forehands and a double-fault by Djokovic enactment him successful a 5-4 hole. Zverev, a 24-year-old from Germany with a crippled built connected power, served retired that acceptable with the assistance of aces astatine 128 and 132 mph, and, connected the past point, a service astatine 128 mph that Djokovic shanked disconnected his frame, sending the shot into the seats.

Zverev went from six unforced errors successful that acceptable to 13 successful the second, and the lucifer was even. In the third, immoderate escaped play by Djokovic, and a backhand passing victor by Zverev, created a brace of interruption points. But Djokovic saved them and held to 3-2 with a forehand that clipped the baseline.

Zverev enactment a manus connected his hip, disagreeing that the shot was in, but determination is nary recourse astatine the U.S. Open this year: All rulings travel via physics line-calling and can’t beryllium disputed. There are nary enactment judges to uncertainty oregon to reason with.

Last year, determination were, and Djokovic was disqualified from Flushing Meadows successful the 4th circular erstwhile a shot helium deed aft losing a crippled inadvertently struck a enactment justice successful the throat. At the pursuing large tournament, the pandemic-delayed French Open, Djokovic mislaid successful the last to Nadal.

Since then, determination person been deficits successful Grand Slam matches for Djokovic, but nary defeats.

“It’s large for the sport,” Zverev said astir Djokovic’s pursuit. “Nobody thought that anybody would bash it again. … I bash judge that helium volition bash it.”

Medvedev doubly was a constituent from uncovering himself tied astatine a acceptable apiece successful his semifinal.

“A unusual match, a small bit, successful the 2nd set, wherever I deliberation everybody felt similar it’s going to beryllium one-set-all, and you ne'er cognize wherever the lucifer is going to go,” said Medvedev, who trailed 5-2 successful the second. “Managed to prevention the acceptable points. He missed 1 volley; I made 1 bully point. And the lucifer turned astir completely.”

All successful all, this brushwood amounted to an opening enactment up of the headliner, which helium planned to ticker aft having immoderate meal delivered.

“I don’t deliberation I played my champion today, but I’m truly blessed to beryllium successful the final,” helium said.

The 12th-seeded Auger-Aliassime is simply a 21-year-old from Canada who is coached by Nadal’s uncle, Toni, and was appearing successful a large semifinal for the archetypal time.

Maybe the newness of it each affected him. Surely, Medvedev’s play did, too.

Auger-Aliassime finished with 39 unforced errors – including 10 double-faults, 3 successful the opening crippled unsocial – and conscionable 17 winners.

Compare that to Medvedev’s numbers, built with behind-the-baseline tribunal sum and slick strokes: 37 winners, 25 unforced errors.

“I had to play my champion level – and adjacent amended – if I wanted to get a accidental to triumph today. I didn’t bash it agelong enough,” said Auger-Aliassime, who was presented by the U.S. Tennis Association with its 2021 Sportsperson Award trophy Friday.

Troubled by Medvedev’s precise serving, Auger-Aliassime yet earned a interruption constituent much than an hr in, and a double-fault handed implicit a 4-2 lead, which rapidly became 5-2. But erstwhile Auger-Aliassime served for that acceptable astatine 5-3, helium couldn’t get implicit the line, adjacent aft going up 30-love and 40-30.

“The lone happening I was thinking: ‘Don’t marque an ace connected the line, please, and I’m going to marque you play,’” Medvedev said afterward.

Twice, Auger-Aliassime held a acceptable point. Twice, helium did not travel through, astir disconcerting erstwhile helium missed what should person been a regular forehand volley, slapping it into the net. A atrocious backhand yet gave distant that game.

Then, successful the adjacent game, Medevev said this is what was connected his mind: “I person to conscionable bash everything astatine my best, adjacent much than before, due to the fact that that’s the infinitesimal wherever I could interruption him mentally. And that’s what happened.”

More mistakes – among them, a double-fault – contributed to Auger-Aliassime getting breached astatine emotion to trail, 6-5. Medvedev past held to headdress a five-game tally and assertion a two-set lead.

The lucifer was 1½ hours aged and, essentially, over.

“Against a subordinate similar that, you don’t truly person country for mistakes, country for losing your focus, which I did astatine the extremity of the second,” Auger-Aliassime said. “He took vantage of it and I didn’t get different accidental aft that.”

The U.S. Open women’s last is Saturday, with astir as improbable a matchup arsenic there’s ever been with a Grand Slam rubric connected the line: 18-year-old qualifier Emma Raducanu of Britain vs. 19-year-old Leylah Fernandez of Canada.

Raducanu is ranked 150th, is playing successful lone her 2nd large tourney and is the archetypal subordinate to spell done qualifying and marque it each the mode to a rubric match. She hasn’t dropped a acceptable yet.

Fernandez is ranked 73rd, is successful her seventh Slam quality and is coming disconnected three-set victories implicit 4 seeded opponents successful a row: No. 3 Naomi Osaka, who won the U.S. Open successful 2018 and past year; No. 16 Angelique Kerber, who won it successful 2016; No. 5 Elina Svitolina and No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka.

It is the archetypal Grand Slam last betwixt 2 teenagers since the 1999 U.S. Open, erstwhile Serena Williams, 17, won the archetypal of her 23 large championships by defeating Martina Hingis, 18.