Novak Djokovic's Dominance Hailed by Fans in US Open Semifinal Win vs. Ben Shelton
September 8, 2023
Novak Djokovic's U.S. Open dominance continued Friday with a straight-set victory over Ben Shelton in the semifinals.
With the win, the No. 2 seed earned his 36th career Grand Slam final singles appearance. He also now has the opportunity to win his 24th singles major title as well.
Djokovic's 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 (4) victory was largely the result of his serve. The Serbian converted 56-of-67 first-serve points and added five aces as well. His return game was also on point, as he won 29-of-72 first-return points.
Shelton, meanwhile, made 43 unforced errors and committed five double faults. Still, that doesn't take away from a tremendous run for the 20-year-old, who should be making his presence felt in Grand Slam tournaments for years to come.
He also nearly picked off Djokovic in the third set, breaking the Serbian twice and forcing a tiebreaker. However, Djokovic was too strong in the end and earned a spot in the final.
Afterward, Djokovic appeared to mock Shelton's post-match "hang up the phone" celebration, putting his own "phone" to his ear before hanging it up.
Shelton didn't appear to take kindly to the move.
Regardless, Djokovic has now won 12 straight sets after falling behind 2-0 to in the round of 32 to Laslo Djere. He's on fire and looks almost unbeatable with all aspects of his game on point.
Fans and analysts recognized Djokovic's tremendous performance.
Scott Barclay @BarclayCard18Every time Novak Djokovic celebrates wildly after winning points, games, sets or matches, I see people on here questioning why he still does that given how much he's won, and every time I find myself thinking that the GOAT is gonna' do what the GOAT is gonna' do. 😂 <a href="https://t.co/pKWn4ZnDyF">pic.twitter.com/pKWn4ZnDyF</a>
Danny 🐊 @DjokovicFan_Last year, Novak Djokovic was barred from entering the US and was unfairly villainized and mistreated.<br><br>This year, he is back in the final and on top of the world.<br><br>The strength. The determination. The courage.<br><br>The one and only Novak Djokovic. <a href="https://t.co/Vq3ASdHBYO">pic.twitter.com/Vq3ASdHBYO</a>
The Tennis Letter @TheTennisLetterNovak Djokovic beats Ben Shelton to reach his 36th Grand Slam Final at the US Open. <br><br>The last few years of his career have been about breaking records.<br><br>This new era will be about extending records.<br><br>Legendary stuff. 🇷🇸 <a href="https://t.co/4l1C0Nv8eE">pic.twitter.com/4l1C0Nv8eE</a>
Relevant Tennis @RelevantTennisNovak Djokovic is now 147-2 in Grand Slam matches played on hard courts after winning the first set.<br><br>That '2' is Stan Wawrinka, who's still the ONLY player to defeat Djokovic at the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/USOpen?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#USOpen</a> (or at the Aus Open) after being one set down.<br><br>How. <a href="https://t.co/hSsg0UimQP">pic.twitter.com/hSsg0UimQP</a>
Djokovic will play the winner of a semifinal matchup between No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz and No. 3 Daniil Medvedev that will take place later Friday evening. The men's final will then go down on Sunday at 4 p.m. ET.
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