By Chris Oddo | @Thefanchild | Tuesday 2 September 2025
New York – Novak Djokovic It is still setting records at 38. Tuesday evening inside Arthur Ase Stadium, the High Fight Fight Taylor Fritz 6-3, 7-5, 6-4, to reach its 53rd Grand Slam semi-finals than any man or woman in tennis history.
“One of those days where you just have to grind, you know. You just have to play with your heart and fight. This is what really gave me the victory in the end,” Djokovic said after the match.
Victory improves Djokovic’s life record against Fritz with a perfect 11-0 and connects it with Jimmy Connors for most US semi-finals open with 14. But it was not all the quiet navigation for the 24-year-old champion.
Fritz had the opportunity – so many of them – but tried when it mattered. The American failed to turn into his first ten opportunities of the resting point, and even after eventually being hit for his first night’s rest in the second set, he immediately surrendered serving with Djokovic, through double fault. The chance to level the match was dropped, and Gjokovic was thrown to the stage to get a two -set command.
“To be honest, the fact that I was 0 for 10, which in fact almost sounds better for me than it really was, because this is not counting how many times I had 15-30, love-30, 30th,” Fritz said after the match. “The fact that I was 0-10, this is putting it beautifully.”
The 27-year-old turned back to take the third set and keep his hopes alive, but in the end the nerves wandered again. Serving at 4-5 in the fourth, Fritz rescued two game points, just to double the blame on the third, giving Djokovic the victory in three hours and 24 minutes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OXDKGP8QP8
“At the end of the day, this is one of the things that makes the players great excellent,” reflected Fritz. “They win the big points, and this is something I touched before the match is that I will have to go out and get those points from it. He will not hand them over to me. That’s exactly what happened. Many of my weapons, aggressive shots were not just going down.
For Djokovic, the victory creates a block semi -final against Carlos Alcaraz, who included Jiri Lehecka earlier on Tuesday. Gjokovic has won his last two meetings with the Spaniard and holds a 5-3 advantage in their heads, but Alcaraz has looked relentless in New York, keeping the 99 percent service in five games without falling a group.
In 38, Gjokovic seemed vulnerable occasionally against Fritz, and he would welcome the luxury of two full days before Friday’s semi -finals.
“I don’t feel very fresh at the moment, but I hope in two days it will be different,” he said. “Here we are. I have another chance, another shot. Hopefully, as I said, I can be capable and play as well as to continue with Carlos. Then it may be the match of anyone.”
