Carlos Alcaraz soaked up everything Novak Djokovic could throw at him before marching into his second US Open final and denying the 38-year-old a shot at a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title.
Djokovic came into the clash hoping to bridge a 16-year age gap in his fourth Grand Slam semi-final of the season but the Spaniard claimed a 6-4 7-6 (7-4) 6-2 victory.
Jannik Sinner set a blockbuster final with Alcaraz after a gritty 6-1 3-6 6-3 6-4 win over Felix Auger-Aliassime, where he was forced to dig deep to capture his 300th career match victory.
It will be the first time in the Open era that the same two players have contested three major finals in the same season.
Djokovic had two days off to prepare for the contest, but Alcaraz has looked in supremely good form in New York, not dropping a set through to the last four, and he produced another brilliant performance to deny the former world No 1 a shot at his fifth US Open crown.
It was revenge for Alcaraz after defeats to Djokovic in the Olympic gold medal match and the Australian Open quarter-finals, and he said: “It’s a great feeling. Once again to be in the final of the US Open, it feels amazing.
“It means a lot to me. I’d say it wasn’t the best level. I served really well today, I think it was really important.”
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