Novak Djokovic, 38, remains a defining presence at the 2025 US Open. The Serbian arrives in New York on the back of semi-final runs at the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon earlier in 2025, and progressed to a record 14th US Open semi-final after Tuesday’s quarter-final. He extended his head-to-head dominance over 2024 runner-up Taylor Fritz to 11 wins from 11 in that match.

Djokovic already sits on 24 Grand Slam singles titles and has a long list of major records, yet a fifth US Open crown would place him in a select group. Since 1968, three men have claimed five US Open titles in the Open Era: Roger Federer, Jimmy Connors and Pete Sampras. Connors won in 1974, 1976, 1978, 1982 and 1983. Sampras lifted his first US Open in 1990 and added titles in 1993, 1995, 1996 and 2002. Federer collected five consecutive trophies from 2004 to 2008 and remains the last man to successfully defend the title.

While Federer and Connors reached seven US Open finals between them, that particular finals record belongs to Djokovic, who has appeared in 10 finals in New York. He won the tournament in 2011, 2015, 2018 and 2023, giving him four US Open titles and placing him joint-fourth on the all-time list alongside Rafael Nadal and John McEnroe.

Djokovic has also lost six US Open finals: to Federer in 2007, to Nadal in 2010, to Andy Murray in 2012, to Nadal again in 2013, to Stan Wawrinka in 2016 and to Daniil Medvedev in 2021. A victory in New York would have drawn him level with Federer, Sampras and Connors at five US Open titles.

Beyond the tournament-specific milestone, Djokovic’s broader aims remain prominent: a 25th major and the possibility of becoming the oldest men’s singles Grand Slam winner of the Open Era. Should he defeat Carlos Alcaraz in Friday’s semi-final and then lift the trophy, it would add another defining chapter to his career.

Felix Auger-Aliassime will move back inside the top 15 of the ATP Rankings after a hard-fought four-set win over Alex de Minaur in the US Open quarter-final.

The world No 27 and 25th seed edged de Minaur 4-6, 7-6(7), 7-5, 7-6(4) in a match that lasted four hours and 10 minutes on Arthur Ashe Stadium. It was a return to the New York semi-finals for Auger-Aliassime for the first time since 2021 and his first Grand Slam quarter-final since the 2022 Australian Open.

Neither player was at his best for long stretches, but Auger-Aliassime — who had already defeated third seed Alexander Zverev and 15th seed Andrey Rublev at this tournament — found the decisive edge in key moments. He saved a set point in the second-set tiebreak to avoid falling two sets to love down. After de Minaur failed to serve out the fourth set, Auger-Aliassime prevailed in a tense fourth-set tiebreak.

“It feels amazing — honestly, four years ago, it feels like more,” reflected the Canadian on his return to the semi-final.

“It was a tough couple of years, but it feels even better now to be back in the semi-finals. It’s been an amazing tournament so far.

“It’s not over, there’s still some tennis to play, and the biggest challenges are yet to come, but that’s what I live for, that’s what I train for — so I’m going to show up and be ready for my [semi-final] match on Friday.”

For Alex de Minaur, now world No 8, the loss continues a frustrating Grand Slam record — he has lost all five major quarter-finals he has contested and withdrew from his last-eight match at Wimbledon last summer.

Auger-Aliassime’s run has seen him beat three top-15 opponents in succession. In the ATP Live Rankings he is provisionally up 14 places to world No 13, holding 2,755 points. The 25-year-old reached a career-high of world No 6 at the end of 2022 and finished both 2023 and 2024 at No 29. His current form puts him well placed to finish the year inside the top 15 and potentially target a return to the top 10. A semi-final victory would provisionally move him to 11th, though he would likely face world No 1 Jannik Sinner at that stage.

Felix Auger-Aliassime reached the US Open semifinals for the second time, the Canadian producing a gruelling victory to advance after a season that has blended promise and setbacks.

By early February he had added two trophies and recorded a runner-up finish in Dubai. By July, a second-round exit at Wimbledon left him 2-3 across the first three majors. At Flushing Meadows he found a response, outlasting Alex de Minaur in a four-hour, 10-minute contest to move into the final four.

Eighth-seeded De Minaur held a set point that would have given him a two-set lead, but Auger-Aliassime fought back for a 4-6, 7-6 (7), 7-5, 7-6 (4) victory. The No. 25 seed also recovered from 2-5 down in the fourth set to avoid a deciding set and completed the win after more than four hours on court.

“Four years ago, it feels like more. It was a tough couple of years, but it feels even better now to be back in the semifinals,” Auger-Aliassime said during his on-court interview. He later added: “It’s been an amazing tournament so far. It’s not over,” and “There’s still some tennis to play and the biggest challenges are yet to come. That’s what I live for, that’s what I train for. So I’m going to show up and be ready for my match on Friday.”

The run at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center followed a quarterfinal showing at the Cincinnati Open, where none of his three wins involved beating a Top 50 opponent. In New York he has taken down a pair of Top 10 opponents, including a four-set victory over third-ranked Alexander Zverev in the third round. Before this tournament, Auger-Aliassime’s last completed win against a Top 10 player came at the season-opening United Cup when he rallied past Taylor Fritz.

This return to the last four feels different from his first trip at the same venue. In 2021 he led Carlos Alcaraz 6-3, 3-1 when his then teenage opponent was forced to retire due to an adductor injury in his coming out party on the major stage. The 25-year-old Montreal native now prepares for a challenging semifinal bracket; world No. 1 and reigning champion Jannik Sinner meets Lorenzo Musetti for the other semifinal spot during Wednesday’s night session inside Arthur Ashe Stadium.