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Novak Djokovic Beats Ben Shelton: In the US Open semifinal match on Friday, Novak Djokovic appeared to be heading towards an effortless victory. Then he reacted to Ben Shelton’s late pressure to guarantee his spot in Sunday’s championship match.
Daniil Medvedev, the third seed, will play Djokovic thereafter he overcame top-seeded Carlos Alcaraz in the opposite semifinal. Rematch of the 2021 US Open championship match, which Medvedev won in straight sets.
Djokovic established early control of the Friday encounter with a break to move up, 4-2. He retained the upper hand until a difficult third set, which he survived to win 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 (7-4) and progress to his 10th US Open championship match. He will compete for his fourth US Open title and 24th Grand Slam singles title, which would increase his all-time male record.
Djokovic mimicked Shelton’s celebration at the US Open by making the motion of hanging up a phone when the match was done.
The final American in the men’s field is eliminated by Shelton’s defeat. The hard-serving, unseeded 20-year-old advanced to the semifinals, his deepest run in any professional competition, by defeating two seeded opponents, fellow countrymen Frances Tiafoe and Tommy Paul. But Djokovic proved to be too difficult a challenge, as the 36-year-old has frequently been for up-and-coming players.
Shelton Responds
Shelton was questioned about Djokovic’s post-match celebration following the match.
“I don’t like when I’m on social media and I see people telling me how I can celebrate or can’t celebrate,” Shelton said. “If you win the match, you deserve to do whatever you want.
“As a kid growing up, I always learned that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. So, that’s all I have to say about that.”
Djokovic holds on in tense third set to set up high-profile final
Before Shelton earned his first break in the eighth game of the third set to put more pressure on the 23-time Grand Slam champion, Djokovic dominated Shelton for the majority of the match. Serving with the match in his hands at 6-5, Djokovic responded to the break to grab the advantage. However, Shelton defeated Djokovic once more to force a tiebreak. There, Djokovic defeated Shelton 7-4 in a tiebreak because he was simply too strong for Shelton.
Djokovic is back in the US Open final despite missing it the year before due to a lack of COVID-19 immunization and a failure to comply with admission requirements. He’ll go chasing his first championship since 2018, having had his 2020 quest cut short by controversy. That year, he was eliminated in the fourth round after hitting a line judge with an inaccurate ball, a violation that resulted in immediate elimination.
An audience in New York that has watched Djokovic’s legendary matches against players like Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Andy Murray over the years has greeted his return with excitement.
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