Djokovic beats American Ben Shelton to reach 10th US Open final
Novak Djokovic defeated American Ben Shelton 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 proved too much for the young American.
“Obviously I knew that he’s got a lot of firepower. He has an amazing pop on the serve, he’s just so dynamic and very unpredictable what comes next,” said Djokovic. “I just had to stay there mentally, present, calm, and focus on the game plan.”
He next faces Daniil Medvedev who shocked defending champion Carlos Alcaraz 7-6(3) 6-1 3-6 6-3,
A 2021 rematch awaits ???? pic.twitter.com/jzXIsHtypD
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 9, 2023
Already assured of returning to the top of the world rankings when they are updated after the tournament, Djokovic will continue the hunt for his 24th Grand Slam title to match Margaret Court’s all-time singles record on Sunday.
The last time Djokovic and Medvedev clashed at the U.S. Open was the 2021 final, where the Russian claimed his only major so far and denied the Serb a rare calendar Grand Slam.
“The challenge is you are playing a guy who has won 23 Grand Slams and I have only one,” said Medvedev, who also reached the 2019 U.S. Open final losing to Rafa Nadal.
“When I beat him here I managed to play better than myself and I need to do it again there is no other way.”
