After nearly two weeks, the US Open has ended up mostly where tennis fans thought it might be. Three of the four players in the men's semis are Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, and Novak Djokovic. Felix Auger-Aliassime is the surprising fourth.
Alcaraz has more to play for than just his sixth Grand Slam title. If he wins the major, he will take over ATP No. 1. Sinner, the current No. 1, is somewhat hurt by his impressive run of success last year. He has a lot of points to defend.
A number of possibilities exist for the rest of the US Open. Djokovic could set a new record for major titles. Alcaraz could take the top ranking. Sinner could win Grand Slam number five and equal Alcaraz's current number. Or Auger-Aliassime could take the title and become the first Canadian man to win a Grand Slam.
How to watch the US Open men's semifinals and guesses for who will win
Carlos Alcaraz versus Novak Djokovic
If Djokovic somehow wins the US Open, he could simply retire. He would collect his 25th Grand Slam, seemingly a number that will never be matched. He will also have beaten Alcaraz and (likely) Sinner in doing so. This seems impossible, but if anyone can do it, it might be Djokovic.
As odd as it may seem, while Alcaraz has dominated almost every player in tennis in the last two years, he hasn't dominated the Serb. Djokovic has won four of the last five meetings, including the Australian Open earlier this year. The guess is, however, that Alcaraz moves into the final with exquisite shot-making and movement.
Jannik Sinner versus Felix Auger-Aliassime
Auger-Aliassime and Sinner have an interesting history. The Canadian leads the head-to-head 3-1, but one of those victories was a walkover. Also, all four meetings have either come at the Cincinnati Open or the Madrid Masters.
Auger-Aliassime is a winner in the tournament already. In the live rankings, he has moved up 14 spots to No. 13. He won't beat Sinner, who appears to get better the later Grand Slams go. The Italian will win in four sets, setting up the inevitable: A major final with Sinner playing Alcaraz.
How to watch the US Open men's semifinals:
Check your local listings, of course, but according to the official US Open site, this is where to go.
The first match will start at 3 pm ET (New York time) on Friday, September 5, and will feature Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz. Jannik Sinner and Felix Auger-Aliassime will be in the night session, which will begin at 7 pm ET.
- United States - ESPN, ESPN+
- UK - Sky Sports
- Australia - Nine Network Australia, Stan Sport
- Canada - TSN Canada and RDS (French language)
- China - CCTV5, MiguTV
- Germany - Sportdeuschland, Sky Sport
- India - Star Sports
- Ireland - Sky Sports
- Italy - Sky Italia, SuperTennis
- Japan - WOWOW
- Central and South America - ESPN Latin America
- Middle East - beIN Sports MENA
- Spain - Moviestar +
- Sweden - Eurosport
- Switzerland - SRG SSR, Sky Sport
- For a full list of broadcasters, click here.