Novak Djokovic defeated Ben Shelton, the young promise of the United States, and advanced to the final of the US Open

Djokovic continues to make history (Reuters)

The men’s semifinals got underway this Friday with the duel between Novak Djokovic (No. 2) against Ben Shelton (No. 47), the great revelation of the tournament. He was a triumph for the European 6-3, 6-2 and 7-6 (7-4) in a total display of experience by one of the best tennis players of all time.

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“I have set internal goals, I have been blessed to play this sport for so long and I feel that my losses can still give more and I can give more to this sport,” he declared after his resounding victory. Regarding Sunday’s final, against Carlos Alcaraz or Daniil Medvedev, he had no preferences for the opponent: ”It will be the most difficult match of the tournament, I have already played against them, they are great players. Daniil beat me here 2 years ago, he is possibly the most consistent tennis player in recent years. And what Carlos has achieved at only 20 years old is fantastic, he is an amazing player and he is very good for this sport. “It will be a very fun game for the public to watch as a fan.”

Shelton, the explosive and charismatic tennis player from Atlanta, 20 years old, could not continue in the race despite the fact that with his devastating left arm, polished in a childhood when he played as an American football quarterback, he managed to become the youngest American. of the tournament since Michael Chang in 1992. The son and pupil of former player Bryan Shelton gave everything on the court, but it was not enough to reach the final.

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With this victory Djokovic has won 22 of his 23 semifinal matches since 2015 in Grand Slams and will now play the 36th major final of his career. The 36-year-old star from Belgrade has been to all three major finals this year, with victories at the Australian Open and Roland Garros and the bitter defeat at Wimbledon against Alcaraz. On the other side of the key, there are precisely the Spanish and the Russian Daniil Medvedev.

Destroying another historical record of Roger Federer, the Serbian Djokovic had crushed fellow American Taylor Fritz on Tuesday to reach the semifinals of the US Open. The European defeated the local team 6-1, 6-4 and 6-4. “Every time I go out on the court at this age, at this stage of my life, it is a great opportunity,” the 36-year-old Belgrade star recalled at the time. “I don’t know how many more options I’ll have, so I try to enjoy it as much as I can.”

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In his history at Flushing Meadows, Nole remains undefeated in 13 appearances in the quarterfinals and only Jimmy Connors has more appearances in the semifinals of this Grand Slam, with 14.

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