Medvedev Ousts US Open Defending Champion Alcaraz to Reach the Final. Djokovic Awaits

Daniil Medvedev of Russia celebrates after defeating Carlos Alcaraz of Spain during their Men's Singles Semifinal match on Day Twelve of the 2023 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 08, 2023, in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Getty Images/AFP)
Daniil Medvedev of Russia celebrates after defeating Carlos Alcaraz of Spain during their Men's Singles Semifinal match on Day Twelve of the 2023 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 08, 2023, in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Getty Images/AFP)
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Medvedev Ousts US Open Defending Champion Alcaraz to Reach the Final. Djokovic Awaits

Daniil Medvedev of Russia celebrates after defeating Carlos Alcaraz of Spain during their Men's Singles Semifinal match on Day Twelve of the 2023 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 08, 2023, in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Getty Images/AFP)
Daniil Medvedev of Russia celebrates after defeating Carlos Alcaraz of Spain during their Men's Singles Semifinal match on Day Twelve of the 2023 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 08, 2023, in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Getty Images/AFP)

Daniil Medvedev predicted he would need to play “11 out of 10” to get past defending champion and top-seeded Carlos Alcaraz at the US Open.

How did Medvedev rate his performance against Alcaraz in the semifinals Friday night?

“I played 12 out of 10,” Medvedev declared after eliminating Alcaraz 7-6 (3), 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 to set up a rematch in the final against Novak Djokovic, a 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 (4) winner over unseeded American Ben Shelton earlier Friday.

The No. 3-seeded Medvedev won his lone major championship at Flushing Meadows in 2021 by defeating 23-time Slam winner Djokovic in that year's title match. That prevented Djokovic from completing what would have been the first calendar-year Grand Slam in men's tennis since 1969.

Even before the start of these two weeks, folks had been anticipating a Djokovic vs. Alcaraz showdown on the last day of the event. Theirs is an inter-generational rivalry — Djokovic is 36; Alcaraz 20 — that has fascinated the tennis world in recent months.

A meeting in New York on Sunday would have been a rematch of the final of the Cincinnati Masters last month, won by Djokovic, and of the final at Wimbledon in July, won by Alcaraz, and of a semifinal at the French Open in June, won by Djokovic.

But it was not to be.

Medvedev stood in the way.

“These kind of matches can happen,” Alcaraz said.

Alcaraz — who will relinquish the No. 1 ranking to Djokovic no matter what happens on Sunday — had been trying to become the first man to claim consecutive championships in New York since Roger Federer won five in a row from 2004-08.

Alcaraz spoke days earlier about his growth over the past 12 months and how much more mature he's become.

“After this match, I'm going to change my mind,” Alcaraz said. “I'm not mature enough.”

So instead, it will be Medvedev, a 27-year-old from Russia, who will be appearing in his third US Open final in five years and his fifth major title match in all.

He lost to Rafael Nadal in New York in 2019 and at the Australian Open in 2022, and to Djokovic at the Australian Open in 2021.

“The challenge is that you play a guy that won 23 Grand Slams, and I have only one,” Medvedev said, looking ahead to taking on Djokovic. “When I beat him here, I managed to play better than myself, so I need to do it again. There is no other way.”

Medvedev had lost to Alcaraz twice this season, including in the Wimbledon semifinals. Those head-to-head results left Medvedev concerned.

“Before the match, for sure, a lot of doubts,” he said.

But he was up to the task. Was he ever.

He stood way back to return serves and would conjure up passing shots “from his house,” Alcaraz observed with a smile, also noting that Medvedev hit his forehand harder than usual.

Told about that last part, Medvedev said: “I'm happy that I managed to get in his head.”

One key moment: From 3-all in the opening tiebreaker, Medvedev grabbed the next four points and that set.

“I totally (lost) my mind,” Alcaraz said.

When Medvedev went up 3-0 in the second set, Alcaraz went to the sideline and thought about smacking his racket against a couple of plastic bottles on the floor near his seat, but held back.

“It was tough,” Alcaraz said, “for me to stay calm.”

There were moments of brilliance from both men, displays of athleticism, instincts and shot-making that brought fans out of their seats.

Also often jumping up from his spot in a corner guest box at Arthur Ashe Stadium was Juan Carlos Ferrero, the 2003 French Open champion who is Alcaraz's coach. Ferrero was looking nervous throughout the second set as the match appeared to be getting away from his guy, keeping up a constant patter of instructions and exhortations in Spanish.

It all helped, if only briefly. Alcaraz really got going in the third set, and his net-charging tactics — including plenty of serve-and-volleying — were effective. He won 54 of 70 points that he finished at the net.

Medvedev served about as well as ever. He saved eight of the nine break points he faced and then often got the better of the match’s shortest points, winning 101 of the 174 exchanges that lasted four strokes or fewer.

“Against someone like Carlos, you have to serve well,” Medvedev said. “You have no other choice.”

The final twist came with Alcaraz serving down 3-2 in the fourth set. It was a lengthy game that lasted nearly 15 minutes, filled with a ton of impressive returning by the lanky Medvedev, whose long arms seem to get his racket to everything.

When one Medvedev return landed out, Alcaraz looked up and put his hands together, as if to say, “Thank you!”

But Alcaraz missed one volley, and then couldn't quite deliver as he reached to try to get to a dipping, angled backhand return.

“That game was amazing,” Medvedev would say later.

It gave Medvedev the lead and an edge he would not relinquish, even if he did need to put aside a pair of double-faults while serving for the victory as some spectators called out to distract him.

“That's not so nice. But I'm happy it didn't help them,” Medvedev said. “They can go to sleep now.”

Alcaraz was asked how long he'll stew over this setback.

“Days? Weeks? I don't know,” he responded. “I don't think I'm going to think about this loss for a long time.”



Norris Feels ‘Nowhere Near’ His Best as Formula 1 Title Contest Heats up Inside McLaren 

Formula One F1 - Bahrain Grand Prix - Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir, Bahrain - April 13, 2025 McLaren's Oscar Piastri poses on the podium after winning the Bahrain Grand Prix alongside third placed McLaren's Lando Norris and McLaren team principal Andrea Stella. (Reuters)
Formula One F1 - Bahrain Grand Prix - Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir, Bahrain - April 13, 2025 McLaren's Oscar Piastri poses on the podium after winning the Bahrain Grand Prix alongside third placed McLaren's Lando Norris and McLaren team principal Andrea Stella. (Reuters)
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Norris Feels ‘Nowhere Near’ His Best as Formula 1 Title Contest Heats up Inside McLaren 

Formula One F1 - Bahrain Grand Prix - Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir, Bahrain - April 13, 2025 McLaren's Oscar Piastri poses on the podium after winning the Bahrain Grand Prix alongside third placed McLaren's Lando Norris and McLaren team principal Andrea Stella. (Reuters)
Formula One F1 - Bahrain Grand Prix - Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir, Bahrain - April 13, 2025 McLaren's Oscar Piastri poses on the podium after winning the Bahrain Grand Prix alongside third placed McLaren's Lando Norris and McLaren team principal Andrea Stella. (Reuters)

Lando Norris may be top of the F1 standings, but he feels like he's driving "nowhere near" his best and can't work out why.

After placing third Sunday at the Bahrain Grand Prix — won by his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri — Norris said he felt far more confident last year, when he lost out on the drivers' title to Red Bull's Max Verstappen.

"I’m confident that I have everything I need and I’ve got what it takes," Norris said. "I have no doubt about that, that I’m good enough, but something is just not clicking with me in the car."

Norris, who qualified sixth for Sunday's race, saw Piastri close to within three points of him in the standings.

"As soon as you're not gelling (with the car), then you're going to be in issues, and that's what I have at the moment," Norris said.

Even though he's still leading and won the season-opening Grand Prix in Australia last month, Norris said he hasn't felt comfortable all year with McLaren's car — widely considered the fastest on the grid.

Last year, "I knew every single corner, everything that was going to happen with the car, how it was going to happen. I felt on top of the car. This year could not have felt more opposite so far," Norris said.

"Even in Australia, I won the race but never felt comfortable, never felt confident. The car was just mega and that’s helping me get out of a lot of problems at the minute, but I’m just nowhere near the capability that I have, which hurts to say."

Norris and Piastri combined to help McLaren win the constructor title in 2024, the team's first since 1998.

Teammate battles which shaped F1

The years when F1 has been dominated by a single team have produced some of the most bitter rivalries, as McLaren witnessed in the late 1980s with a feud between Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost.

More recently, the relationship between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg turned sour during their championship fight at Mercedes in 2016.

Norris and Piastri are keeping things civil, though there were awkward moments last year when Norris was asked to make way for his teammate in a race.

McLaren has faced tests from other teams, with Verstappen winning in Japan last week for Red Bull and Mercedes' George Russell competing with Norris and Piastri on Sunday. Still, the pace of the other teams seems to be fluctuating from race to race, and McLaren's isn't. The gap of 58 points on the constructor standings to second-place Mercedes after just four races is vast.

"We haven't had a consistent challenger week-in, week-out," Piastri, a 24-year-old Australian, said. "As long as we have the best car, it's going to be tight between Lando and I."