Daniil Medvedev stunned defending champion Carlos Alcaraz 7-6 (7-3), 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 to reach the US Open final for the second time, setting up a rematch with Novak Djokovic.
The Russian third seed, who won his only major title at Flushing Meadows in 2021, recovered from a slow start to dominate the first two sets before Alcaraz fought back to level the match.
However, Medvedev regained his composure in the fourth set to serve out victory, taking a fourth match point to win a captivating contest which left most of the 24,000 crowd on Arthur Ashe Stadium on their feet.
Djokovic, who lost to Medvedev in the 2021 final, also reached the final with a comfortable 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 (7-4) win over young American Ben Shelton.
The Serb, bidding to equal Margaret Court’s record of 24 Grand Slam singles titles, will be the overwhelming favourite to win on Sunday.
“These are the matches and occasions I thrive on, they inspire me every day to keep working as hard as the young guys,” said Djokovic, who, for the third time in his career, has reached every Grand Slam final in a year.
“I still feel I have something left in the legs and something to give to the sport. I couldn’t be happier.”
The final between Djokovic and Medvedev will be the first meeting between the two players since the 2021 US Open final. Djokovic won that match in straight sets, but Medvedev will be confident of avenging that defeat on Sunday.
The match will surely be a classic and one of the most anticipated Grand Slam finals in recent memory.
