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Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic will aim to set up another eagerly anticipated showdown in a Grand Slam final at the US Open on Friday.<\/p>\n
Defending champion Alcaraz, 20, said it would be \u201cgreat\u201d to meet three-time winner Djokovic in the New York showpiece, two months after edging an epic Wimbledon final against the Serb.<\/p>\n
The top seed must first find a way past Russian third seed\u00a0Daniil Medvedev<\/strong>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Djokovic, meanwhile, meets American\u00a0Ben Shelton<\/strong>\u00a0(not before 20:00 BST).<\/p>\n The 36-year-old, seeded second, was denied a record-equalling 24th major title in a gripping five-set loss to Alcaraz at Wimbledon.<\/p>\n But, in pursuit of his first US Open triumph since 2018, Djokovic is back within two wins of matching Margaret Court\u2019s all-time tally.<\/p>\n \u201cIt would be great to play a final against Novak here in New York but we both have really tough semi-finals,\u201d Alcaraz said.<\/p>\n \u201cBut obviously both of us are looking for that potential final.\u201d<\/p>\n The Spaniard dismissed Alexander Zverev in straight sets to reach the last four at Flushing Meadows and has lost only one set in five matches as he seeks to retain the trophy which represented his first major title last year.<\/p>\n Alcaraz\u2019s rise has continued since that breakthrough triumph, winning his first Slam on grass and boasting a tour-leading 57 victories and six titles this season.<\/p>\n He meets another former champion in Medvedev (from 00:00 BST), having recorded straight-set wins over the 2021 winner at Wimbledon and Indian Wells this year.<\/p>\n \u201cThe last matches that I played against Daniil I played a tactical game perfectly,\u201d said Alcaraz. \u201cI think my game suits well against an opponent like Daniil.\u201d<\/p>\n He added: \u201cLast year I was facing my first semi-final of a Grand Slam. Now I\u2019m facing my fourth one. I feel like I\u2019m a totally different player.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel like I\u2019m more mature. I deal better with the pressure in those kinds of moments. I\u2019m a different person and a different player.\u201d<\/p>\n Before that match, Djokovic will contest a record 47th Grand Slam semi-final of his illustrious career.<\/p>\n Surpassing Federer in that regard, Djokovic admitted he found the conditions during his quarter-final victory over Taylor Fritz on Tuesday challenging.<\/p>\n But, despite appearing to experience a difficult period physically in the match, like Alcaraz he was able to secure an efficient straight-set win.<\/p>\n New York has experienced a heatwave in the second week of the US Open, with temperatures well above 30C and humidity levels over 50%.<\/p>\n That has led to the partial closure of the Arthur Ashe Stadium roof to provide shade, but Medvedev said playing in such heat\u00a0could cause a player to \u201cdie\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cWe both struggled I think physically a lot, especially in the first set, set and a half. [In] very humid conditions. [I was] just sweating a lot,\u201d Djokovic said after his quarter-final.<\/p>\n Having ousted Fritz, Djokovic, who missed last year\u2019s tournament because of his Covid-19 vaccination status, would end home hopes in the men\u2019s draw with victory in his first meeting with 20-year-old Shelton.<\/p>\n The big-serving Shelton began his stunning breakthrough year by reaching the Australian Open quarter-finals in only his second Slam in January.<\/p>\n This US Open run has arrived one year after a first-round exit at Flushing Meadows, in what was his first main-draw appearance at a major.<\/p>\n On facing another American opponent, and likely having the majority of the crowd against him again, Djokovic said: \u201cSometimes I just like to not really pay attention to what\u2019s going on [in] the stands.<\/p>\n \u201cBut sometimes I want to respond and I want to feed off that energy,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s normal, it\u2019s logical to expect that most of the crowd would support the home player. That\u2019s probably going to be the case on Friday, but I\u2019ll be ready for it.\u201d<\/p>\n Before those semi-finals take place, Britain\u2019s\u00a0Joe Salisbury<\/strong>\u00a0and American\u00a0Rajeev Ram\u00a0<\/strong>will attempt to defend their men\u2019s doubles title in the final on Arthur Ashe Stadium (17:00 BST).<\/p>\n Salisbury and Ram overcame second seeds Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek in three sets to reach their third successive US Open final on Thursday.<\/p>\n That was a 17th successive victory in New York for the 2021 and 2022 champions, who will chase a third successive triumph when they play India\u2019s\u00a0Rohan Bopanna<\/strong>\u00a0and Australia\u2019s\u00a0Matthew Ebden<\/strong>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n![\"Novak](\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/_131018760_gettyimages-1665895751-1.jpg\")