Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz will meet for the first time at a grand slam in Paris on Friday but the Serbian expects a familiar feeling.
Alcaraz was still a baby the last time the French Open was played without his compatriot Rafael Nadal in the draw.
Now Spain has a new hero to cheer and Djokovic a new rival to spar with at the top of the game.
“He carries himself very well,” said the 36-year-old. “No doubt very nice guy on and off the court. Brings a lot of intensity on the court. Reminds me of someone from his country that plays with a left hand.”
Djokovic and Alcaraz met for the first – and only – time in Madrid last year, when the young Spaniard served notice that he was the present as well as the future of tennis by beating Nadal and Djokovic back to back.
Since then they have frustratingly missed each other, with Djokovic unable to play in the US Open, where Alcaraz won his first grand slam title, because of his vaccination status, while the 20-year-old was kept out of the Australian Open by injury.
Djokovic claimed his 22nd slam title in Melbourne and can set a new all-time men’s record by lifting the Coupe des Mousquetaires for a third time.
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“He deserves his success, no doubt,” said Djokovic of Alcaraz. “He’s working hard and he’s a very complete player already and only 20.
“So we played only once in Madrid last year, 7-6 in the third for him. Most of the tournaments this year we were not in the same draw but here we are.
“That’s the match that a lot of people want to see. It’s definitely the biggest challenge for me so far in the tournament. If you want to be the best, you have to beat the best. He’s definitely a guy to beat here. I’m looking forward to that.”
They both reached the semi-finals dropping only one set but, Alcaraz has been the more impressive, spending three-and-a-half hours less on court than Djokovic in his five matches so far.
The Serbian, who can reclaim the world number one ranking by winning the title, looked in trouble for a while against Karen Khachanov before playing a flawless second-set tie-break.
Djokovic’s ability to lock in at the most important moments is one of his greatest strengths and the Serbian’s extraordinary precision in the placement of his shots is unmatched.
If Djokovic is the old master, Alcaraz is the young impressionist, using the clay canvas to show off his talent and exuberance.
John McEnroe declared Alcaraz the most complete 20-year-old he has ever seen earlier in the tournament, and the audacity of his shots demonstrates the supreme confidence he has in his game.
He spoke of his excitement at playing Djokovic, saying: “Since the draw came out, everyone was expecting that match, the semi-final against Novak. Myself as well. I really want to play that match.
“Since last year I really wanted to play again against Novak. We both are playing a great level. I’m going to enjoy it.
“Of course, for me, it’s amazing to make history, playing a semi-final with such a legend like Novak. So it’s going to be a great match for me.
“I would say the match we played last year doesn’t affect too much this one. We both learned a lot from that match, so it’s going to be totally different, and let’s see what happens on Friday.”
The other semi-final pits fourth seed Casper Ruud against Alexander Zverev, who has found form again on the Paris clay 12 months after seriously injuring his ankle in a last-four clash with Nadal.
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The German did not play another match until the beginning of this season but insisted there is no mental scar tissue as he looks to reach a second grand slam final.
“I think I’m at a stage now where I’m not thinking about the injury so much anymore,” he said. “I’m not thinking about what happened. I’m just happy to be back where I was last year, and I have another chance. Hopefully I can take it.”
Ruud made his first slam final here last year before losing heavily to Nadal and has shrugged off his own difficult start to the season.
Gauff sees off Burel on return in China
Coco Gauff prevailed in her opening match at the China Open, beating Clara Burel in straight sets on Friday to reach the third round.
Playing in her first match since her US Open fourth-round exit, Gauff held off the Frenchwoman's challenge, winning 7-5 6-3 in 102 minutes.
The pair traded breaks early in the contest before Burel pulled in front and looked sure to take the first set.
Gauff pushed back though, saving a set point at 5-4 before eventually edging in front with her fourth break of the set.
It was slightly more straightforward in the second, with Gauff's patience eventually rewarded as a three-game winning streak at the end of the match sealed the victory, setting up a meeting with Katie Boulter in the next round.
Data Debrief: Hard court advantage
With this victory, Gauff has now won 46 matches at WTA-1000 hard-court events, equalling Caroline Wozniacki for the most such wins before turning 21 since the format was introduced in 2009 (46).
It also marks Gauff's 30th straight win over a player ranked outside the top 50, with her last such defeat coming 15 months ago in the first round of Wimbledon 2023 against Sofia Kenin.
Osaka ends long wait for comeback win against Putintseva in China
Naomi Osaka rallied to beat Yulia Putintseva in the second round of the China Open on Friday, ending a wait of over two years for a comeback victory.
Osaka came from a set down to win 3-6 6-4 6-2 and tee up a third-round meeting with Katie Volynets, extending her winning streak at the Beijing event to eight matches.
She had failed to win any of her previous 22 matches when going a set down, a streak she was mightily relieved to snap.
"I heard that stat from my agent," Osaka told reporters after her win.
"I wanted to break it really badly because I knew that I also had a stat about three-setters before I took my break, so that was really important to me.
"I also wanted to show myself that I could win a match and fight without playing as perfectly as I wanted to."
Data Debrief: Back-to-back for Osaka
This is the first time Osaka has won back-to-back matches since June at 's-Hertogenbosch, where she reached the quarter-finals before falling to Bianca Andreescu.
The last time she won from a set down, meanwhile, was in the Miami Open semi-finals in 2022, when she beat Belinda Bencic before losing to Iga Swiatek in the final.
Home favourite Zhang stuns Navarro in huge China Open upset
World number 595 Zhang Shuai stunned US Open semi-finalist Emma Navarro at the China Open on Friday, just two days after ending a 603-day winless streak.
Zhang ended a 24-match losing run – which began after the Lyon Open in 2023 – by beating American McCartney Kessler 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (7-1) in her Beijing opener on Wednesday.
That long-awaited victory teed up a clash with world number eight Navarro, who Zhang beat 6-4 6-2 in a major upset in front of a jubilant crowd in the Chinese capital.
Zhang, who is the lowest-ranked player to ever compete in the main draw at the WTA 1000 event, got to the net on her second match point to smash a forehand winner past Navarro, teeing up a meeting with Belgium's Greet Minnen for Sunday.
Data Debrief: Beijing witnesses historic upset
Ranked a lowly 595th in the world, Zhang has become the lowest-ranked player to defeat a top-10 player at the China Open since the tournament's 2004 inception.
She had also won her most recent meeting with a top-10 player, beating Caroline Garcia in Tokyo back in 2022.
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