TENNIS – Second seed Carlos Alcaraz took down 24-times major winner Novak Djokovic 6-4 7-6(4) 6-2 with clinical precision to reach the US Open final yesterday, prevailing in a blockbuster showdown that packed the house at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The match was billed as the hottest ticket in New York and lived up to the hype, with a scoreline that belied its intensity, as the 2022 champion Alcaraz soaked in deafening cheers on match point.
Djokovic had won their two most recent meetings, including in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open earlier this year, but the 38-year-old showed wear-and-tear against the Spaniard 16 years his junior.
Earlier, Canadian-Kiwi duo Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe overcame Czech Katerina Siniakova and American Taylor Townsend in the women’s doubles final 6-4 6-4, lifting the trophy in New York for a second time.
Dabrowski and Routliffe took the court in matching purple kits and appeared totally in sync as they avenged their defeat to the same opponents in the 2024 Wimbledon final, saving five of the seven break points they faced in a fine defensive effort.
Siniakova and Townsend were in terrific form after winning the Australian Open earlier this year but struggled to chip away at their opponents’ defences and lost their momentum in a feisty second set.
“What a wild ride,” the Canadian Dabrowski said to her teammate. “We’ve been through so much together, I feel extremely grateful to be standing alongside you as a champion today.”
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