Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic on Tuesday night overcame USA's Taylor Fritz to reach the semifinal of the ongoing US Open at New York, making it his 47th appearance in a Grand Slam event semifinal.
He beat Fritz by 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 in hot conditions, improving his head-to-head record against Fritz to 8-0 and extending his winning streak in US Open QFs to 13-0.
Fritz, the ninth-ranked player in the world, advanced to his first US Open quarterfinal without dropping a set. However, Djokovic broke him six times, taking advantage of the 25-year-old's 55% first-serve percentage to take the match. The second seed, who had previously won a record-extending 39th ATP Masters 1000 title in Cincinnati last month, shot with lethal accuracy and depth in the two hours and 34 minutes of play to secure his 10th straight victory.
The 36-year-old also had to contend with the humidity at Arthur Ashe Stadium, regularly using an ice towel and ingesting salts during timeouts to keep himself in shape. He appeared to feel dizzy at times during the match but maintained a high level to advance to a record-breaking 47th Grand Slam semifinal.
Following the match, Djokovic was quoted as saying by ATP, "I am drenched in sweat and I saw Taylor changed his shirt a couple of times. It was very humid condition. Difficult to play for both players. But it is the same for both players and that is why we train. To try and get ourselves in the best possible condition to deliver. It is not easy, but you have to fight."
"I like the energy and the atmosphere on the court here. I thrive on that energy, whatever the energy is, use it as a fuel to try and play my best tennis. I have been playing on this court for so many years, so many epic matches. I can't wait for another one in a few days time," he added.
The 23-time Major champion will reclaim his top spot in ATP Rankings on September 11 no matter what his further results are. In the semifinals, he will meet Ben Shelton.
Shelton on Tuesday night became the youngest American US Open semifinalist in 30 years and upset the 10th-seeded compatriot Frances Tiafoe. Djokovic is chasing his fourth US Open title, having won it in 2011, 2015 and 2018.
He beat Tiafoe by 6-2, 3-6, 7-6(7), 6-2.
12 months after a first-round loss in this tournament as a world number 165, the 20-year-old entered the top 20 of ATP Live Rankings for the first time ever and moved one match closer to reaching his first-ever Grand Slam final in his only fifth appearance at any major tournament.
"I felt like I left it all out here tonight. It was an emotional battle," Shelton said on court after the match.
Shelton, now at number 19 in Live Rankings, had his first big moment during Australian Open in January, reaching QFs in his first journey outside USA.
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