Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz will face off in the final for the third straight tournament, after the Italian top seed advanced to the decider with a four-set win over Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime.
Sinner did not have things all his own way, and he had to have a medical timeout for rib soreness, but he prevailed 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.
The key moment came in the fourth game of the fourth set, where Auger-Aliassime was threatening to claim a vital break.
But despite holding several break points, the Canadian was unable to get it done, as Sinner produced a number of incredible escape shots and winners.
After a 10-minute game, Sinner held serve for 2-2, and a dispirited Auger-Aliassime was broken in the next game to give the world number one an advantage he never relinquished.
The Canadian kept fighting, but Sinner clinched the match by serving out for victory in 3 hours 21 minutes.
The win means Sinner has now made the final of all four majors in a calendar year, joining Rod Laver, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic as the only men to achieve the feat in the Open era.
Djokovic said it was too soon to say whether he will play a full grand slam season next year, as he feels the strain of his 38 years amid the newfound dominance of Sinner and Alcaraz.
The 24-time major winner lost to second seed Alcaraz 6-4, 7-6 (7/4), 6-2 in the US Open semifinal on Friday — the first time since 2017 that he has failed to reach a major final and the latest sign that his best days are behind him.
"I'm happy with my level of tennis but, you know, it's just the physicality of it," said Djokovic, who lifted the last of his four US Open titles two years ago.
"It will be very difficult for me in the future to overcome the hurdle of Sinner, Alcaraz, in the best-of-five on the grand slams. I think I have a better chance [in the] best of three, but best of five, it's tough."
The seventh seed's showdown with the Spaniard 16 years his junior on Friday was billed as the hottest ticket in New York, where a rapt, celebrity-packed Arthur Ashe Stadium urged on the Serb two decades after his Flushing Meadows main draw debut.
He put up a reasonably clean performance, pulling out a few nifty tricks at the net with his trademark creativity, but could not match his opponent's intensity.
The 22-year-old Alcaraz hit 30 winners to Djokovic's 15 and seemed to have the answers at key moments.
Once Djokovic failed to win the second set tie-break to level the match, it was only a question of when.
A forehand error from Djokovic ended the match after 2 hours and 23 minutes.
"I'm not giving up on Grand Slams," said Djokovic, who lost to Sinner in the Wimbledon and Roland Garros semis after retiring in his semifinal clash with Alexander Zverev in the Australian Open this year.
"I'm going to continue fighting and trying to get to the finals and fight for another trophy at least. But, you know, it's going to be a very difficult task."
His next stop on the ATP Tour will be in Athens but Djokovic said it was too soon to say whether he would play at Melbourne Park next year.
"At least at this stage of my career, I mean, I'm not thinking that far," he told reporters. "I still want to play grand slams, grand slam season, full grand slam season next year. Let's see whether that's going to happen or not."
Alcaraz is seeking his sixth major title and second at Flushing Meadows. He beat Sinner at the French Open in June and lost to his rival at Wimbledon in July.
AP/Reuters/ABC
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