Djokovic gets into it with U.S. Open crowd while beating American Fritz to reach semifinals
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NEW YORK (AP) — Novak Djokovic took a two-set lead against Taylor Fritz, an opponent he always beats, to close in on the semifinals, a round he often reaches at the U.S. Open, and marked the occasion by blowing kisses to those in Tuesday night’s crowd pulling for the final American man in the field.
That was just a taste of the back-and-forth between Djokovic and some of the folks in the Arthur Ashe Stadium seats, and there was still work that remained, but he would finish off a 6-3, 7-5, 3-6, 6-4 victory. Djokovic improved to 11-0 against 2024 runner-up Fritz and reached a record-extending 53rd Grand Slam semifinal, a total that includes a record-tying 14 at Flushing Meadows.
The No. 4-seeded Fritz’s exit means the U.S. drought will continue without a male singles champion at any major since 2003, when Andy Roddick won in New York.
On Friday, Djokovic will play in his fourth Slam semifinal of the season and take on five-time major champion Carlos Alcaraz, who hasn’t dropped a set in the tournament. He was a 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 winner against No. 20 Jiri Lehecka earlier Tuesday.
