Novak Djokovic seals a final spot in a 6-3 5-7 6-1 6-1 win vs Carlos Alcaraz in the men’s singles semi-final of the French Open. Djokovic cruised to a 6-3 opening set victory, but a resilient Alcaraz held on to a tiebreak to win the second set 7-5. The young Spaniard faced cramping issues during the third set, and Djokovic capitalized, winning the third set 6-1. Djokovic took little time in winning the fourth set, losing only one game to reach his 34th Slam final.
Match analysis
The World number 3 held his serve in the opening game. Alcaraz covered practically the entire court but was down 1-4 in the first set as he is unable to find a response to Djokovic’s precise shots. Alcaraz held his serve twice more to bring it to 3-5, but Djokovic ultimately wins the first set within an hour. Alcaraz bounced back during the second set, holding his service and breaking the Serbian in the 8th game to lead 5-3. Djokovic draws level, and Alcaraz fights back until he takes back the second set. Alcaraz wins the first game of the third set before being treated for possible cramping issues, handing a game to Djokovic. The Spaniard was evidently out of steam as he loses the third and fourth sets 6-1, ousting him from the French Open.
The Serbian world number three is now inches closer to winning a record 23 Men’s Grand Slam titles, overtaking Rafael Nadal, with whom he was tied at 22 Slam titles. The Serbian also evened his head-to-head record against Alcaraz at 1-1. Their only previous meeting was at last year’s Madrid Open, which Alcaraz had won. “I feel sorry.… I hope he can recover very soon,” Djokovic said after the match. “I told him at the net, he knows how young he is. He has plenty of time ahead of him. He’s going to win this tournament, I’m sure, many, many times.” Djokovic will now face either Casper Rudd or Alexander Zverev on Sunday. He will also reclaim the Word No. 1 spot if he wins the final.
Also, Read: Novak Djokovic: “I am against wars, violence, and any kind of conflict, as I’ve always stated publicly”
