Carlos Alcarazs ambitions of winning the US Open twice in a row were shattered when Daniil Medvedev defeated the worlds top-ranked Spaniard with 7-6, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 on the board to advance to the 2023 final. Novak Djokovic, who defeated American teenager Ben Shelton in straight sets to advance to the final earlier on Saturday, will defend his title against Medvedev on Sunday.A 15th meeting awaits Sunday. pic.twitter.com/ZrUCzbwXDo— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 9, 2023 Dissecting the semi-finals Despite his many successes on the tennis court, the 20-year-old Alcaraz has never rallied from a two-set deficit to win a match. Despite being two sets behind, Alcaraz entered the third set with extra grit and drive. He secured a critical break by pulling off a deft lob to take the lead 3-1. This turning point proved to be enough for Alcaraz, who kept his composure to win the set 6-3 and launch his comeback.The sixth game of the fourth set, which lasted 13 minutes, was exceptionally stressful and tested the players will. In this crucial situation, Medvedev successfully grabbed a hard-won break, giving himself a 4-2 advantage.With a swift hold, Alcaraz found himself under intense pressure to successfully retain his title, which called for a break to prolong the contest.Alcaraz made a final stand in a breath-taking, back-and-forth battle, forcing Medvedev to save four match points to secure the win.Daniil Medvedev is back in the #USOpen final! pic.twitter.com/BJBnSwvxxR— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 9, 2023 More on Medvedev vs Djokovic At the 2021 US Open, Medvedev won his first major championship by defeating Djokovic in the championship match. Due to this victory, Djokovic was unable to complete the first mens tennis calendar-year Grand Slam.On the doorstep of no. 24. @IBM | #USOpen pic.twitter.com/saosnUeKXx— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 9, 2023 Alcaraz bites the dust before the faceoff Alcaraz, who won his first Grand Slam championship last year by defeating Norways Casper Ruud in four sets, was the defending champion at Flushing Meadows. The 20-year-old Spaniard defeated Djokovic in an astonishing five-set Wimbledon final this year, adding another Slam to his trophy case. Its interesting to note that there was considerable excitement for a final clash between Djokovic and Alcaraz before the start of the two weeks at the US Open.Daniil Medvedev avenges his Wimbledon loss to Carlos Alcaraz! pic.twitter.com/1EIOPomrEq— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 9, 2023 Medvedev and victories The sole Grand Slam title held by Medvedev to date is his victory at the US Open in 2021. In addition, this is Medvedevs seventh overall major title contest. His prior finals appearances include losses to Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open in 2021 and 2022, as well as Rafael Nadal in New York in 2019.Medvedev is back in a US Open final, heres how he got there ⤵️@IBM | #USOpen pic.twitter.com/yNAjOeovdo— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 9, 2023
