One of the major storylines of the 2023 season has been the rivalry between Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic. Alexander Zverev has had a taste of both players excellent form across the American hard-court swing.

Having fallen in two tight sets to eventual Djokovic at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati last month, the German was beaten in straight sets by Alcaraz on Wednesday as his promising US Open run was ended at the quarter-final stage. Zverev was unable to identify a clear leader in terms of level within Alcaraz and Djokovic’s Lexus ATP Heaf2Head rivalry but is in no doubt that the chasing pack has some work to do to catch the pair up.

“I played Novak in Cincinnati, I played Carlos here. I think they are very, very similar from the level of the game,” said Zverev in his post-match press conference at Flushing Meadows. “There are some things that Novak does better; there are some things that Carlos does better.

“I think they are at a level of their own at the moment. The other guys gotta catch up. That’s as simple as that.”

Alcaraz delivered a top-class quarter-final display in New York to continue his US Open title defence in style, but Zverev’s challenge to the Spaniard was hampered from the second set onwards by a problem with his left glute.

“I was in the match the first set. I could have broken, it could have gone my way, it didn’t,” reflected Zverev. “Then the second set I felt something in my hamstring glute, left side. I couldn’t push off on my serve anymore. My serve speed was down quite a lot compared to the other days. Against him especially I needed a good serving day otherwise it would have been difficult.

“I think my biggest weapon was kind of taken away after the first set and it’s difficult to even compete if you don’t have that.”

Zverev said that his physical struggle was not related to his lung-busting four-hour, 41-minute fourth-round triumph against Jannik Sinner. Despite his exit to Alcaraz in the last eight, the 26-year-old can reflect on another solid fortnight in a season during which he has made an increasingly impressive recovery following a serious ankle injury in 2022.

“I think we were both physically done after that match,” said Zverev, who leaves New York with a 42-21 record for the year, of the Sinner clash. “I thought I recovered quite well. Just looking at the facts, I think we finished at 1:30 at night. We played 4 hours, 40 minutes. For that I think I recovered quite okay. But today wasn’t enough to be competitive.”

The pressure of competing as defending champion at a Grand Slam for the first time has done little to throw Carlos Alcaraz off course this US Open.

The Spaniard eased to a straight-sets quarter-final victory against 12th seed Alexander Zverev on Wednesday night, a stark contrast to his five hour, 15-minute triumph against Jannik Sinner at the same stage at Flushing Meadows a year ago. Yet it is not just the manner of his win against Zverev that has the top seed feeling confident as he prepares to meet Daniil Medvedev in the semi-finals.

“I’m more mature now. I grew up a lot since last year,” said Alcaraz in his post-match press conference. “Last year I was facing my first semi-final of a Grand Slam. Now I’m facing my fourth one. I feel like I’m a totally different player.

“It doesn’t matter that last year I got my first Grand Slam, that I won my first semi-final and final of a Grand Slam. I feel like I’m more mature. I deal better with the pressure in those kinds of moments. I feel like I’m different, a different person and a different player.”

Alcaraz’s mental approach of treating the majors like he does any other tournament has helped him handle the hype this fortnight in New York. His form at Flushing Meadows, where he has dropped just one set en route to the last four, has been a continuation of a scintillating 2023 season for the 20-year-old, who is now the owner of a Tour-leading 58-6 record.

“I’m doing the same things,” said Alcaraz. “Before matches I’m doing the same things. Mentally it can change a little bit going into tournaments that are the best-of-five, but I try to do the same things.

“I’m doing well during the season. Why do I have to change it? I just do the same things.”

The @carlosalcaraz show rolls on in New York 🤩@usopen | #USOpen pic.twitter.com/vhQHd92qmY

— ATP Tour (@atptour) September 7, 2023

The Spaniard’s ability to stay clutch at key moments played a crucial role early in his win against Zverev. He saved two break points at 3-4 in the first set against the German before claiming a decisive break of his own in the next game to kick-start his march to victory.

“Obviously watching the level Sascha was playing in the first set, being able to win it, it was great for me, to give me more confidence,” said Alcaraz. “Probably he got down a little bit in the second set and I took my chances.

“So it was great. Coming to the third set, knowing that I’m up, playing a great level, for him it was really, really tough. Obviously, he was struggling a little bit physically in the third set, but it was great to be able to win in straight sets.”

Alcaraz now turns to his third Lexus ATP Head2Head clash of 2023 with Medvedev. He claimed dominant victories against the 2021 US Open champion at Indian Wells in March and Wimbledon in July, and the Spaniard will try to emulate his gameplan from those triumphs when he steps onto Arthur Ashe Stadium on Saturday.

“The last matches that I played against Daniil, I played a perfect tactical game,” said Alcaraz. “I did all the things that I had to do against him pretty well. I think my game suits pretty well against that type of opponent like Daniil.

“So I’m going to try to do the same things that I did, for example, in Indian Wells and in Wimbledon, and hopefully get the win and play the same level that I played in those matches.”

Top seed Carlos Alcaraz has moved to within two wins of successfully defending his US Open title after winning a heavy-hitting quarter-final battle 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 with top-ranked German Alexander Zverev Wednesday night in New York.

Looking to claim the prized Wimbledon-US Open double in the same season, the 20-year-old will face 2021 US Open champion Daniil Medvedev in Friday’s semi-finals, with a potential No. 1 vs. No. 2 final showdown with Novak Djokovic remaining a distinct possibility.

“I’m very, very comfortable playing in this court, playing here in New York. I am showing my best level here,” Alcaraz said.

“Last year was very tough, since the fourth round I played five sets [to get to the final]. Here I’ve played just one match that has gone to four sets. I feel great physically and I’m ready to play a great battle with Medvedev in the semi-finals.”

Although Zverev attempted to match Alcaraz’s power from the baseline, the Spaniard’s variety, speed and fresh legs gave him the edge over the German, who two days earlier toiled for four hours, 41 minutes to defeat Jannik Sinner in five sets, which marked just his second victory over a Top 10 player in Grand Slam play. In contrast, Alcaraz spent less than two hours on court in a straight-sets win over Matteo Arnaldi.

Alcaraz threw in a number of serve/volley plays, was an impressive 28 of 35 overall in net approaches and mixed in his usual quota of drop shots to keep his opponent off balance. He hit 29 winners to Zverev’s 22 and saved all five break points he faced while converting all four break chances on his opponent’s serve.

Zverev had a good night on first serve, putting 68 per cent of first serves into play and winning 73 per cent, but he won just seven of 25 points on his second serve.

Alcaraz improved to 24-1 in his past four Grand Slams played, going back to his title run at Flushing Meadows last year. (He missed this year’s Australian Open through injury.) Already a winner of six titles this year, Alcaraz improved to a Tour-best 58-6 match record on the season.

By reaching the quarter-finals Zverev has broken back into the Top 10 of the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings for the first time since last November. The two-time Nitto ATP Finals champion has also risen to eighth place in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin, inside the cut for this year’s season finale, to be held 12-19 November.

BEST 50-MATCH GRAND SLAM STARTS
(among World No. 1s)

* Plays 50th match on Friday
Note: Novak Djokovic 38-12, Roger Federer 34-16

Ben Shelton in his first full season on the ATP Tour has shown countless time he loves engaging with fans and harnessing their energy on the court. When at his best, he holds the crowd in the palm of his hand and not only competes, but entertains.

According to his father and coach, former World No. 55 Bryan Shelton, a key has been learning how to identify when to flip on his intensity.

“We always talk about switching it on and switching it off, and the ability to do those two things is really important. You think about Tiger Woods and he makes this amazing shot and then he kind of just glides down the fairway. He switches off until he has to get to the ball and assess the situation and then he switches back on and gets into his routine,” Shelton said. “For Ben, it’s like he’s so playful and he has all this personality, that he’s pretty good at switching on and switching off. It’s getting better and better.

“He’s able to relax and just be himself, and then when it’s time to really focus and turn it on, he’s able to do that a lot better right now.”

Even in pressure moments, Shelton has shown the ability to find the right mix. After two devastating double faults in the third-set tie-break of his quarter-final against Frances Tiafoe, the 20-year-old maintained his aggression and crushed a forehand return winner to avoid going down two sets to one.

“With Ben and his personality and just the way that he attacks life and tennis and everything, it’s always been about trying to rein him in, never about trying to get him to play outside,” Shelton said. “For me, it’s kind of the opposite. And I’d always prefer that it be this way, because it’s hard to get someone to want to step up when they’re naturally timid or shy or just not aggressive. For us, that’s never been a problem, not with Ben.”

After Shelton reached the Australian Open quarter-finals at the beginning of the season, he did not win consecutive tour-level matches until this fortnight in New York. But where he struggled to string together wins, Shelton added something else.

“I think experience. Experience can be a wonderful thing, right?” Shelton said. “He’s gained a lot of great experience. He’s had to play on clay courts for a couple of months at a time, and so he’s learned a little bit more patience. He’s learned a little bit more about how to play defence. He’s learned his offence has to be really good on that type of surface in order to execute against the best players in the world.

“So he’s been able to work on those things. He’s understood that his return of serve wasn’t up to par. It’s a part of his game that he’s going to have to continue to improve and he’s worked really hard on that aspect of his game.”

For the Shelton family, it is not all about wins and losses, either. Before departing for his first trip of the season the former college tennis star at the University of Florida had never left the country, nor had he competed on red clay or grass. It has been a year of new experiences.

“Ben’s mom and I, [we are] super proud that he’s just handling himself so well. First off the court and then on the court. Our hope for him was that he would just continue to grow as a person and as a player out here on the Tour over the last year, and I think he’s done that,” Shelton said. “You learn a lot about yourself through the losses, probably more than the wins. So this season for him has been just a great learning experience. Travelling around the globe and going to places and playing on surfaces and just doing things he’s never done before.

“So for him, the education has been unbelievable. Along the way he’s been taking classes. So we’re proud of that, too.”

No matter what happens when Shelton walks onto the court inside Arthur Ashe Stadium on Friday against 23-time major champion Novak Djokovic, he knows there will be plenty to learn and room to grow.

“I think he’s got amazing examples over this last 20-year stretch with Roger and Rafa and Novak, of guys that continually look to get better,” Shelton said. “So if those guys can look to get better every single day and they’re the standard of excellence at the very top of the game for a long period of time, like you’re talking about, that’s a good example for him to follow.”

Advancing to a major semi-final is great. Facing Novak Djokovic when you get there, however, is not ideal.

Of all Djokovic’s accomplishments in recent years, one of the most unfathomable might be his record in the semi-finals of Grand Slam tournaments. That is bad news for his next opponent, Ben Shelton.

Djokovic has won 21 of his past 22 major semi-finals dating back to the 2015 Australian Open. His only loss during that stretch came in 2019 at Roland Garros, where Dominic Thiem needed five sets over four hours and 13 minutes to eliminate the Serbian.

Nine of the players Djokovic has defeated in major semi-finals have been inside the Top 5 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. Ten of his victories during the stretch have come in straight sets.

By defeating Taylor Fritz in the US Open quarter-finals, he advanced to a record 47th major semi-final. In his previous 46 appearances this deep at a Grand Slam event, Djokovic has tallied a 35-11 record (76.1%).

Most Major SFs

^{*Plays record 47th major semi-final Friday}
According to Infosys ATP Stats, only 12 players on record have a 76 per cent or better winning percentage that high in all matches, let alone major quarter-finals. Of Djokovic’s 11 losses, eight have come against Roger Federer (4) or Rafael Nadal (4).

His opponent on Friday, Shelton, has one of the biggest serves on the ATP Tour. But pushing sets to tie-breaks at this stage of a Slam has statistically not worked out for Djokovic’s opponents over the past decade.

The 36-year-old has not lost a tie-break in a major semi-final since the 2014 US Open, where he lost to Kei Nishikori. In the seven tie-breaks Djokovic has played in major semi-finals since, he has lost a combined 24 points, or just more than three points per tie-break. That includes nine points he lost in a single tie-break against Nadal at Wimbledon in 2018.

Djokovic has lost just twice in the last four of Grand Slam events against first-time major semi-finalists — his defeat to Nishikori at Flushing Meadows nine years ago and the 2010 Wimbledon semi-finals to Tomas Berdych.