Second seed Novak Djokovic will face American Next Gen star Ben Shelton in the semifinals of the 2023 US Open. The match will be played on Friday, September 8, 2023.

Novak Djokovic set another landmark in his straight-sets win over USA’s top-ranked player Taylor Fritz. Djokovic who was playing his 13th quarterfinal at the US Open, has now won all 13 bouts in the last eight stages and reached an astonishing 47th Grand Slam semifinal – surpassing Roger Federer’s total of 46 and setting an Open Era men’s record. After surviving a major scare in the third round where he fought back from two sets to love down against compatriot Laslo Djere, the 36-year-old has now won nine straight sets.

American young gun Ben Shelton will contest his first-ever Grand Slam semifinal. It’s been a fairytale run for the 20-year-old who has turned heads at the 2023 US Open with rousing wins over two of his more accomplished compatriots – Tommy Paul and Frances Tiafoe – to reach this stage. His place in the world’s Top 20 is secured after his exploits during the fortnight, and he is almost certain to qualify for the Next Gen ATP Finals. Shelton also accomplished a modern rarity in the world of NCAA tennis, becoming just the second ex-NCAA player to reach a major semifinal since 2000.

Novak Djokovic and Ben Shelton have never played before. This is unchartered territory for Shelton who will play one of the sport’s most accomplished champions. Shelton is playing his first major semifinal, in fact, his first semifinal at Tour level. Djokovic will play a groundbreaking 47th semifinal of a Slam. The young American is massively talented. He’s got one of the biggest serves on Tour. Testament to this, Shelton hit two of the fastest serves at the tournament in the past week. He’s also bundled with a silky slice and he’s got some solidity in his baseline game. But Djokovic is the benchmark when you want to test out all your strengths. He’ll wear down Shelton with his vast battery of skills and extraordinary defense to reach his 10th US Open final.