Fritz

American Taylor Fritz stunned world number one Carlos Alcaraz as Team World turned things around to take a 9-3 lead on day two of the Laver Cup.

Team Europe had led 3-1 after Friday but Team World won all four matches in San Francisco on Saturday to turn the tide before Sunday’s final day.

Fritz, who had not beaten Spaniard Alcaraz in three previous meetings, sealed a comprehensive 6-3 6-2 victory in the final singles match of the day.

The world number five said it was one of the best moments of his career so far.

“I think I take almost more pride in this one because I feel like, start to finish, I won it, I earned it,” he said.

“A lot of the decisive points in the match weren’t so much him giving them to me – I felt like I made it happen in those moments. Just start to finish, I played an amazing match. I’m hoping this can be a sign of things to come.”

Novak Djokovic set up a titanic US Open semifinal with Carlos Alcaraz as the Serbian star kept his bid for a record 25th Grand Slam firmly on track.

The 38-year-old Djokovic advanced to a record-equalling 14th US Open semifinal on Tuesday with a four-set win over fourth seed Taylor Fritz, eliminating the last American in the men’s draw.

Djokovic’s 6-3, 7-5, 3-6, 6-4 victory saw him improve to 16-0 against US opponents in New York, as he reached the last four of a major for the 53rd time.

“It was an incredibly close match. It was really anybody’s match,” said Djokovic, who also drew level with Jimmy Connors for the most US Open semifinal appearances.

“I thought I was really lucky to save some crucial break points in the second set. I think for most of the second and third sets, he was the better player.”

Fritz saved two match points in a tight fourth set, before sealing his own fate with a double fault.

“That last game was nerve-racking. A tough one for Taylor to finish with a double fault; he didn’t deserve that,” said Djokovic.

Djokovic and Alcaraz will square off for the first time since the Australian Open quarterfinals in January, when the Serbian won in four sets to take a 5-3 edge in their rivalry.

Friday’s encounter is their fifth at a Grand Slam, but first at Flushing Meadows. Djokovic has won all three past meetings on hard courts.

Djokovic spars with crowd, wears down Fritz

Djokovic broke Fritz straight away inside a raucous Arthur Ashe Stadium as he zipped into a 3-0 lead in the first set and brought up set point on his opponent’s serve in the eighth game.

Fritz resisted and piled on the pressure in the following game, earning five break points.

He could not convert, though, as Djokovic relied on his trademark grit to foil Fritz, including in an astonishing 25-stroke rally.

Djokovic eventually held to clinch the set, but Fritz carved out more chances in the fourth and sixth games of the second set.

His failure to capitalise allowed Djokovic to again seize the initiative by breaking for a 4-3 advantage. Fritz broke back with Djokovic serving for a two-set lead, only to tamely surrender his own serve with a double-fault in the ensuing game.

Djokovic made no mistake this time to pouch the set and mockingly blew kisses to the crowd as he walked to his chair.

But he began to get riled up with the pro-Fritz support willing their man back into the contest, prompting Djokovic to plead with the umpire to do more to quieten the crowd.

His focus dipped fleetingly, and Fritz broke to nudge 3-1 ahead and force a fourth set. It went on serve until Djokovic brought up two match points with Fritz trying to stay alive.

Fritz scrambled to save both, but Djokovic earned another shot and the American double-faulted to seal his rival’s passage to the last four.

Alcaraz demolishes Lehecka

Earlier on Tuesday, Alcaraz, who has yet to drop a set at Flushing Meadows in 2025, cruised into the semifinals, demolishing Czech Jiri Lehecka 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Alcaraz had the crowd in the palm of his hand as he fired off 28 winners and never faced a break point, putting on yet another almost pristine performance.

Alcaraz broke in the first game, helped on his way by a pair of Lehecka double faults, and the Spaniard got the crowd going as he triumphed in a thrilling, cat-and-mouse exchange at the net in the 10th game, sending a backhand winner streaking past the Czech.

The 2022 champion kept the momentum going in the second set, converting a break point at the net in the first game, and Lehecka became visibly agitated as he went down another break with a double fault in the seventh game.

Alcaraz smiled in disbelief as he nailed a series of precise shots to set up a break point in the seventh game of the final set, but Lehecka dug in to hold.

Alcaraz let out a triumphant cheer as he prevailed in a 12-shot rally on break point in the ninth game and deployed his golf swing celebration to the delight of fellow Spaniard and 2017 Masters champion Sergio Garcia, who was in attendance.

“I just played a really – or almost – perfect match,” he said. “I’m just feeling great and hungry to make it.”

The five-time major winner has only been broken once so far in the tournament and could retake the number one world ranking from Italy’s Jannik Sinner, although he is trying not to think about it.

“If I think about the number one spot too much, then I’m going to put pressure on myself, and I don’t want to do that,” he said.

Shelton was the first player of this year’s tournament to play on the iconic Arthur Ashe show court, taking just over two hours to wrap up victory.

The former semi-finalist is in good form, having won his first ATP Masters 1000 title at the Canadian Open earlier this month.

“The US Open is the pinnacle of tennis for me and what I dreamed about as a kid,” Shelton said.

“It is starting to feel like home for me.”

Shelton beat Fritz in the semi-finals on his way to the title in Toronto and the two could potentially face one another in the last four in New York.

But Shelton, 22, remained cautious when asked if he could go far at this year’s tournament.

“As soon as you start looking ahead of yourself you stumble over your own feet so for me it is one day at a time,” he said.

“We are here for the long haul and I am looking forward to it.”

Fritz, who lost out to world number one Jannik Sinner in last year’s final, has also performed well in recent months.

He reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon and won grass-court titles at Eastbourne and Stuttgart, putting him in the sort of form that suggests he can go far at the year’s final Grand Slam.

LONDON — Jannik Sinner overwhelmed a not-fully-fit Novak Djokovic 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 in the Wimbledon semifinals on Friday to set up a showdown for the championship against Carlos Alcaraz.

The No. 1-ranked Sinner’s victory at Centre Court put him in his first final at the All England Club.

No. 2 Alcaraz defeated Taylor Fritz 6-4, 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 (6) earlier Friday to move within one victory of a third consecutive Wimbledon title.

Sinner, a 23-year-old Italian, and Alcaraz, a 22-year-old Spaniard, now head into a rematch of their epic final at the French Open four weeks ago. Alcaraz won that one after fending off three match points.

“Hopefully it’s going to be a good match, like the last one,” Sinner said. “I don’t know if it’ll get better, because I don’t think it’s possible.”

Alcaraz is 5-0in Grand Slam title matches. Sinner owns three major trophies.

They are far and away the leaders of men’s tennis — and are at the height of their games right now. This will be the seventh straight major tournament won by one of them.

“The things we are doing right now are great for tennis,” Alcaraz said.

Alcaraz takes a career-best 24-match winning streak into Sunday. Sinner will be participating in his fourth consecutive Grand Slam final, after winning the U.S. Open last September and the Australian Open in January, before his heartbreaking defeat in Paris after wasting a two-set lead.

For the 38-year-old Djokovic, his lopsided loss brought an end to his latest bid for an eighth Wimbledon title — which would tie the men’s mark held by Roger Federer — and for an unprecedented 25th major trophy.

Djokovic was diminished two days after slipping and doing the splits on what he called a “nasty” and “awkward” fall in the last game of his quarterfinal victory. He canceled a practice session Thursday, had his upper left leg checked by a trainer during a medical timeout after the second set against Sinner and was simply unable to move the way the world is so used to seeing.

Right after that treatment, Djokovic grabbed a 3-0 lead in the third set and was a point from going up 4-0. But Sinner took six of the remaining seven games.

“We all saw, especially in the third set, that he was a bit injured,” Sinner said. “He’s been in a very difficult situation.”

When it ended, Djokovic picked up his equipment bags and was given a standing ovation as he headed toward the locker room. He paused to smile, wave and give a thumbs-up to the crowd.

Djokovic exited in the semifinals at all three Slams this season, including quitting after a set against Alexander Zverev because of an injured hamstring at the Australian Open.

There was more intrigue in Friday’s first semifinal, particularly when Fritz led 6-4 in the fourth-set tiebreake with two chances to force things to a fifth. But Alcaraz collected the next four points by forcing mistakes by Fritz to finish off the win, then rocked back on his heels, spread his arms wide and screamed.

“I’m just really proud about the way that I stayed calm,” Alcaraz said, “and (was) thinking clearly.”

With five-time Wimbledon champion Bjorn Borg and celebrities such as Anna Wintour and Leonardo DiCaprio looking on, Alcaraz marked some of his best shots with a shout of “Vamos!” or a raised index finger.

“A lot of the things that I would have changed, I think would have only helped me for a point or two, and then I think Carlos would have just made an adjustment,” said the fifth-seeded Fritz, the runner-up to Sinner at the U.S. Open, “and I don’t think it would have been a long-term answer.”

The temperature topped 85 degrees Fahrenheit, with no clouds interrupting the blue sky overhead to offer protection from the sun. For the second consecutive day, spectators had trouble in the heat; there were two brief delays in one second-set game while fans needed to be helped.

As everyone paying attention — including Sinner — knows by now, Alcaraz is not just any foe.

“He has so many different ways to win,” Fritz said, “and he’s very good at making adjustments.”

LONDON — Morgan knows best, apparently.

Taylor Fritz thought the motivational note he wrote to himself after losing at Wimbledon four years ago would stay private. His girlfriend, influencer Morgan Riddle, later shared it on social media.

“That note was never supposed to be public,” a smiling Fritz said after his 6-3, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (4) win over Karen Khachanov set up a semifinal meeting with two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz.

Fritz had written to himself in the note that “nobody in the whole world is underachieving harder than you” and urged himself to get his act together.

Not only does Fritz forgive Riddle, he also credits her for having such a big impact on him rising to No. 5 in the world rankings in pursuit of his first Grand Slam title.

“There’s been a pretty constant results-and-ranking rise since we’ve been together,” Fritz said. “I think I would have to say she’s been a big help to me just kind of keeping me focused, having someone who cares and just pushes you to just do better and do the right things, be healthier.

“Almost like kind of just mother me in a way,” he added, chuckling to himself, “with like, the diet and going to sleep on time.”

A smiling Fritz later added: “Yeah, that maybe wasn’t the best choice of words.”

The 27-year-old American, who was the runner-up at last year’s U.S. Open, didn’t face a break point in the first two sets against No. 17 Khachanov, who rebounded in the third set. It was 4-all in the fourth-set tiebreaker before Fritz claimed the final three points on Court No. 1.

It’s the first time Fritz has reached the last four at Wimbledon. He’s won two grass-court titles this season — Stuttgart and Eastbourne — and was happy he wouldn’t be facing Alcaraz on clay, which would be “an absolute nightmare.”

“Grass is very much so an equalizer. It can be an equalizer. So trust in how I’m playing,” he said. “I truly know the way that I played the first two sets today, there’s not much any opponent on the other side can do.”

Alcaraz: Golf first, then Fritz

The second-seeded Alcaraz is within sight of a Wimbledon three-peat. He extended his winning streak to 23 matches this season by beating Cameron Norrie 6-2, 6-3, 6-3 on Centre Court.

Alcaraz, who has beaten Novak Djokovic in the past two finals at the All England Club, faced only five break points and saved all of them.

He wants to hit some other greens, though, before he faces Fritz

“For sure I’m going to play some golf, just to switch up my mind a little bit,” Alcaraz said

The 22-year-old Spaniard has been playing golf with Andy Murray during his Wimbledon run.

This time, his opponent could be actor Tom Holland, whom he had run into earlier.

“I would love to play against him in the golf course. For me it would be such an honor. I will try to set it up in these two days that I will have much time to do it. So let’s see if he will be available, and we’ll tee it up.”

Maguire writes for the Associated Press.

Two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz produced a Wimbledon masterclass to end British hope Cameron Norrie’s run and move into the semi-finals once again.

Second seed Alcaraz underlined why he is the tournament favourite with a scintillating 6-2 6-3 6-3 win.

The Spaniard will face Taylor Fritz – the American fifth seed bidding for a first major title – in the last four.

Fritz secured his place in the Wimbledon semi-finals for the first time with a 6-3 6-4 1-6 7-6 (7-4) victory over Russia’s Karen Khachanov.

Alcaraz is seeded behind Italian rival Jannik Sinner because of their respective world rankings, but his superior record on grass courts – and current hot streak – makes him the man to beat.

Victory over Norrie was a 23rd win in a row for Alcaraz, who is bidding to become the fifth man to win three successive Wimbledon titles in the Open era.

“I’m really happy – to play another Wimbledon semi-final is super special,” said Alcaraz, who secured victory in one hour and 39 minutes.

Having saved three early break points in a cagey opener, Sinner was gifted the first set in an error-strewn service game from 75th-ranked Rinderknech, a backhand planted into the net on Sinner’s first set point sending the Italian on his way.

He broke at the second time of asking in the fourth game of the second set and eased through its remainder, dropping just a solitary point on serve.

But his game temporarily crumbled in the third set as Rinderknech, buoyed by a partisan crowd in his home capital, won the opening four games to take a commanding lead.

Normality soon resumed however as Sinner fought back to cancel out Rinderknech’s break points, puncturing the atmosphere on the showcase court.

From there he barely gave his opponent another sniff of a chance. Piling the pressure on the Frenchman’s racquet, Sinner went a break up and sealed the match with a fierce serve Rinderknech, 29, could do little to match.

Sinner will play French veteran Richard Gasquet in the second round.

Former top 10 player Gasquet, 38, is playing the final tournament of his career at Roland Garros and beat compatriot and fellow wildcard Terence Atmane in his opening match.

Sinner won his third major title at the Australian Open in January but has yet to reach the final at Roland Garros, exiting in the semi-finals 12 months ago at the hands of eventual champion Alcaraz.

In February he accepted an immediate three-month ban after reaching a settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) over his two positive drugs tests last year.

That suspension ended earlier in May, meaning he was able to compete at his home tournament in Rome – where he dropped just one set en-route to the final against Alcaraz – before travelling to Paris for the second major of the year.