US Open: After a serving masterclass against Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev to face versatile Novak Djokovic in final | Tennis News

Tennis fans have been made to wait for the latest instalment of the captivating inter-generational rivalry between Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic after World No. 3 Daniil Medvedev stunned Alcaraz 7-6 (3), 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 in the semifinal of the US Open on Friday in a fine display of his hardcourt expertise.Much of the pre-match buildup had been dominated how unfavourable a matchup this was for the Russian, given how Alcaraz’s variety and power overwhelmed him in two lopsided defeats this year.In what was a statement-making performance, Medvedev not only overcame the tough match-up, but through exceptional serving, near-impenetrable defensive play, deep and angled returning, and relentless athleticism proved that he does not need to adjust his playing style to defeat the best players in the world in the fast hardcourt conditions that favour him most.
Alcaraz may have been the better player for much of the near-hour-long first set – volleys and drop shot exploiting Medvedev’s typically deep return positioning – but in a rare glimpse of his inexperience, the Spaniard made loose errors to hand the set to Medvedev in a tiebreak, and went through a mental dip to hand his opponent a two-set lead.

He reset and showed some of his best tennis to win the third, but as Medvedev raised his level in the fourth, unlike their previous two meetings, it was Alcaraz who looked bereft of ideas in trying to cope with the big-serving Russian, who eventually plugged away at Alcaraz to break him and serve out the win.
Rematch of 2021 final
His reward: a rematch of the 2021 final when he won his maiden Grand Slam with the soon-to-be World No. 1 Novak Djokovic.
Djokovic took on promising young American Ben Shelton, and a heavily partisan 24,000-strong home crowd, and showed them who is boss, delivering a clinical 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 (4) win in the first semifinal on Friday.
The seemingly routine afternoon turned fey in the end when Djokovic mimicked Shelton’s signature ‘dialled in’ celebration – imitating his gesture of hanging up the telephone – and the duo followed it up with cold stares and an icy handshake.

Inexplicably, Djokovic has now reached the summit clash of exactly half the Grand Slams he has played, reaching a 36th Major final in his 72nd Grand Slam singles appearance. He will be vying for a record-extending 24th Major, and fourth US Open title on Sunday.
Medvedev, in his fifth Grand Slam final, may be buoyed confidence, but he will be tasked with dealing with a wholly different player than the one he beat on Friday, or the one he beat at Flushing Meadows two years ago when he stopped a drained and fatigued Djokovic, who was admittedly weighed down the pressure, from becoming only the second man in the Open Era to win a year-in Grand Slam.
Medvedev’s serve and defence
With nine aces, a 64% first serve success rate, and an 83% winning rate on the points he made his first serve, Medvedev served up nothing short of a serving masterclass against Alcaraz on Friday.
The 6’6’ Russian bases much of his game using his precise and powerful first serve to set up patterns of play that suit his counterpunching style from the baseline. When he does not win cheap points through his serve, he wears opponents down erecting a wall on his side of the court, relentlessly getting balls back into play and on the quicker courts like the ones in New York, redirecting pace finding angles – especially on the backhand side – that only he seems to find.

Explained Medvedev’s second serve strategy One of the most startling points of his semifinal against Alcaraz came when Medvedev double faulted on match point, attempting a 126 mph second serve. It was a ploy he used throughout the match, unsettling Alcaraz throwing in two huge serves instead of being conservative on his second. Djokovic has won a whopping average of 62% points on his opponents’ second serve, using his legendary returning ability to apply pressure on the server. But if Medvedev successfully manages to be aggressive on his second serve too, break point opportunities could be few and far between for the Serb.

His return strategy plays into his elite defensive skills. After failing to get a read on Alcaraz’s serve in blow away defeats at Indian Wells and Wimbledon, he persed with the deep return positioning – sometimes as far as the fence – but this time, aided the pace of the courts, found the timing on his returns and placed them deep, low, and dipping in a way to make the shot after the serve difficult for the Spaniard.
It was Alcaraz who was made to look one-dimensional, unable to adjust his game to deal with Medvedev’s variety of returns as the Russian thwarted many of his 42 serve and volley attempts.
Versatility, Djokovic’s strengthMost Read
1
Jawan box office collection day 2: Shah Rukh Khan’s blockbuster grosses Rs 240 crore globally in just two days, ‘wins hearts and breaks records’

2
BJP pours men, machinery into Kerala poll, ends up with its worst showing in seat since 2011

See More

In possession of one of the most complete games in tennis hory, Novak Djokovic’s point construction hardly looks the same throughout an entire match. The Serb has got nearly every weapon in his tennis arsenal which he can use to isolate weaknesses in his opponent’s game and built points to exploit them.

Unlike Alcaraz, he does not commit to all-out attack, instead uses his athleticism and shotmaking to go toe-to-toe from the baseline to wear opponents out. His ability to take the ball early, sticking tight to the baseline instead of retreating far behind like Medvedev, allows him to be the aggressor too, especially when he opens up the court to unleash his backhand down-the-line. While his backhand gets most of the plaudits, his forehand can be equally effective, and a weapon for him to use to exploit Medvedev’s weaker forehand on the crosscourt exchanges.
Medvedev showed he has the game to beat any player on the hardcourts in New York, but against the stubborn resilience of Djokovic, even on his best day, he will need to prove that he can find another gear to get over the line against one of the best players in hory.