Two wins away from calendar Grand Slam, Djokovic keeps his focus

New York, September 9

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic saw off Matteo Berrettini in the quarterfinals of the US Open on Wednesday night and then swatted away questions about his bid to become the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to win all four Grand Slam titles in the same calendar year.

Djokovic overcame a slow start against the Italian sixth seed before wrapping up a 5-7 6-2 6-2 6-3 victory and moving a step closer to his 21st Grand Slam title.

The Serb, who will take on German fourth seed Alexander Zverev in the semifinals, cut off Patrick McEnroe when he edged towards the subject in an on-court interview. “You don’t have to ask me anything about that,” said Djokovic. “I don’t want to think about it, I know it’s there, just focusing on the next match and let’s go step-by-step.”

What a pleasant Surprise!

No one is more surprised than Emma Raducanu herself. The British teenager became the first qualifier to reach the semifinals by beating Olympics champion Belinda Bencic 6-3 6-4.

“I didn’t expect to be here at all,” Raducanu said. “I think my flights were booked at the end of qualifying, so it’s a nice problem to have.” She will next face Maria Sakkari, who beat Karolina Pliskova 6-4 6-4. — Agencies

Emma Raducanu beat Belinda Bencic. USA TODAY Sports/Reuters