Novak Djokovic began his hard-court season on the back of a marathon 5-set loss to Carlos Alcaraz at the Wimbledon final. The loss hasn’t perturbed him one bit as he looks to pave his path to a potential fourth US Open title. He is currently plying his trade in the Cincinnati Open where, after a first-round bye, has yet to drop a set while bulldozing his way to the semifinals. He set an Open Era record when he defeated Gael Monfils in straight sets in their 19th meeting together in the 4th round.
After his Wimbledon finals loss, there was chatter of retirement going around tennis circles, some coming from Djokovic’s family. This clearly has been an unwanted rock in the river that Djokovic focuses on as he looks to win the US Open this year.
Novak Djokovic to potentially face Carlos Alcaraz in Cincinnati Open finals
The top 2 players currently on the ATP roster have been playing fast-paced, incredible tennis over the course of the year. Their rivalry began when Djokovic pummelled a weary Alcaraz into submission through injury at the French Open. Then, Alcaraz roared back in style to usurp Djokovic’s position as Wimbledon champion.
Despite their age difference, Djokovic being in his twilight years and Alcaraz in his prime, the possible showdown between the two at this year’s Cincinnati Open Finals will ignite sparks of joy among tennis fans.
Their respective paths to the semi-finals included tough matches. Djokovic did not drop a single set in his quest for glory while Alcaraz had to fight back from a set down against Max Purcell to secure his place in the semi-finals. They face tough opponents, waiting in the corridor to upset them, in the form of Alexander Zverev for Djokovic and Hubert Hurkacz for Alcaraz. Should they defeat their opponents in their respective matches, Djokovic and Alcaraz will renew their rivalry through a showdown at the Cincinnati Open finals.
Novak Djokovic’s dominant win over Taylor Fritz to reach Cincinnati Open semifinals
After breaking Rafael Nadal’s Open Era record with his win over Gael Monfils, Djokovic faced the threat of American Taylor Fritz. Fritz, an adept server with the prowess of excellent second serves, aimed to reach the semifinals. This proved to be wishful thinking as Djokovic hammered Fritz in their meeting. A 6-0, 6-4 win displayed how much control Djokovic had over his game.
The first set was completed in 21 minutes with Fritz’s serving capabilities faltering. The Serbian converted all five of his break points, rendering the American’s challenge futile. Djokovic began the second set by handing a break to Fritz before going 0-2 down. From 2-4 down, Djokovic rediscovered his form and blazed through the last 4 games to race through to the semifinals where he will face Alexander Zverev.
The match was done and dusted in 62 minutes of clean ball striking from Djokovic who will look to prolong his knack of not dropping sets to the next game and hopefully reach the finals where a potential meeting with either Alcaraz or Hurkacz awaits him.
ATP Masters 1000 Cincinnati – Semi-finals:
Carlos Alcaraz – Hubert Hurkacz
Alexander Zverev – Novak Djoković#CincyTennis— Z kortu – informacje tenisowe | Tennis news (@z_kortu) August 19, 2023
This result has improved Djokovic’s record to 7-0 against Fritz. Fritz, the number one American player, had all the crowd support behind him but the steely mentality of Djokovic saw him crush his opponent in style. Djokovic summed up his performance by saying, “I just managed to get off the blocks really strong, played an almost perfect, flawless first set. Then I started off really poorly in the second and handed him the break, but from 2-4 down I played really four solid games in the second. Just overall a great performance.”
After a record win over Monfils, Novak Djokovic has the opportunity to win his third title at the Western and Southern Open. He faces the possibility of a renewed rivalry with Carlos Alcaraz who, despite losing sets in his path to the semifinals, poses a tough challenge to Djokovic. Who do you think will come out as the winner this time should they manage to make their way to the finals? Make sure to let us know in the comments.
