By Victor Kanayo
Serial Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic on Friday night brushed aside young American Ben Shelton to march into the final of the ongoing US Open at New York.
With the victory, Djokovic, a Serbian is just one win away from equalling a 24th major title.
He roundly defeated young 20-year-old Shelton 6-3 6-2 7-6 (7-4) in the semi-final to again close in on Margaret Court’s tally.
The men’s final could see Djokovic face Carlos Alcaraz who beat him earlier this year to win the Wimbledon final.
Djokovic vs Alcarez – A Potential Final Blockbuster
Alcaraz, the defending champion will battle Daniil Medvedev, who won his sole major title at Flushing Meadows two years ago, in the second semi-final later on.
Djokovic lost to Medvedev in the 2021 final and was not allowed to enter the United States for last year’s tournament because he was unvaccinated against Covid-19.
However, he has now has reached a 10th US Open final on his return to New York and will aim for a fourth title triumph on Sunday.
Gauff Display
Meanwhile, upcoming American tennis sensation Coco Gauff beat Karolina Muchova 6-4 7-5 to reach her first US Open final on Thursday.
That was after the match was halted for nearly an hour when an environmental activist glued his feet to the floor of Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Gauff, who had beaten Muchova in the Cincinnati final last month to claim the biggest title of her career, fed off the energy of the home crowd to get past the Czech once again.
