U.S. Open: Novak Djokovic beats Ben Shelton to advance to final
Novak Djokovic reacts to the crowd after defeating Ben Shelton during the men's singles semifinals at the U.S. Open on Friday. Credit: AP/Manu Fernandez
It was a 36-year-old giant against a man 16 years his junior. It was 47 grand slam semifinals against one. It was honed precision against raw power.
The precision won. But the power made it interesting.
Ben Shelton declared himself on a world stage, but it was no match for an inevitable Novak Djokovic, who often allowed the brash American to defeat himself in a 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 (4) win at the U.S. Open men’s semifinals Friday. Djokovic will play Daniil Medvedev in the final after he beat Carlos Alcaraz in the night semifinal.
After dominating for two sets, Djokovic was finally rattled in the third, dropping three straight games and going down 5-4 before charging back.
Shelton, exuberant and gritty, intermittently first-pumped and preened himself to an adoring crowd — a fact that apparently left a mark on the Serbian, who finally sealed the third set with a crushing forehand that Shelton returned into the net. Djokovic then celebrated by mockingly holding an imaginary phone and slamming it — mimicking Shelton’s quarterfinal celebration Tuesday.
Earlier in that set, Djokovic wagged his finger after winning a rally, and after the final point, he shook Shelton’s hand but did not speak to him.
“I just loved Ben’s celebration,” Djokovic said while (poorly) trying to stifle a smile. “I thought it was very original and I copied him and I stole his celebration.”
The second-seeded Djokovic preserves his chance to win his 24th Grand Slam title this coming Sunday — a feat that would tie him with Margaret Court for most majors of all time. It’s also his 10th U.S. Open finals appearance which ties him with Bill Tilden, and his 36th Grand Slam final in 72 appearances.
Djokovic — likely the greatest defender of all time — exploited the inefficiencies in Shelton’s game, and Shelton helped him, committing 43 unforced errors to Djokovic’s 25. Despite having the hardest serve and the most aces of any player this tournament, Shelton couldn’t dominate in that category, thanks to Djokovic’s serve placement, and his elite return game.
“I knew that he's got a lot of firepower,” Djokovic said. “He has an amazing pop on the serve. He's just so dynamic and very unpredictable what comes next. I just had to stay there mentally, present, calm, and focus on the game plan and what I need to do and try to be solid from baseline, which for most of the match I have done and kind of made him play, made him uncomfortable.”
That said, Friday’s match did plenty to announce that Shelton has arrived, even if his game still needs some fine-tuning.
Shelton, a college athlete who went pro after reaching the round of 16 atthe 2022 Western & Southern Open, played fast and loose, refusing to be intimidated by one of the most intimidating presences in tennis. That extended to his post-match news conference, too.
“I learned that he's a guy who can compete at the highest level, has a similar mentality to me on the court with how he wants to come after you and be aggressive and show his emotion,” Shelton said. “I think it was really cool to see that matchup for the first time. Looking forward to hopefully getting it again.”
After dropping the first two sets, and the first two points of the third set, Shelton quickly dispatched Djokovic in Game 3. Later, he broke Djokovic’s serve to tie it at four games — Djokovic’s forehand going long, prompting Shelton to put his hand to his ear as the crowd roared. Down 6-5, Shelton broke Djokovic again to send the match to a tiebreak.
The athleticism, the high-octane serves and even the cutesy drop shots (the ones Djokovic often picked up like springtime daffodils) all of it combined to pump up a capacity Arthur Ashe crowd made so much louder thanks to a roof that had been closed for rain.
“To be playing the No. 2 player in the world and have as many people as I had screaming my name in there, it was a really cool atmosphere,” Shelton said. “The American crowd really brought it.”
But none of that mattered to Djokovic, who’s defeated plenty of flashy young players, and plenty of hometown favorites in his historic career.
In the process, he slammed the phone on Shelton. True to form, Shelton took it with cheeky aplomb.
“I don't like when I'm on social media and I see people telling me how I can celebrate or can't celebrate,” he said. “I think if you win the match, you deserve to do whatever you want. You know, 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.”
Laura Albanese is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. She's been covering MLB since 2014 after starting at Newsday as an intern seven years earlier.
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