Novak Djokovic from Serbia overcame local Ben Shelton 6-3, 6-2, 7-6(4) to reach his 10th U.S. Open final on Friday, setting up a showdown with Daniil Medvedev from Russia, who held off defending champion Carlos Alcaraz of Spain 7-6(3), 6-1, 3-6, 6-3.

"These are the kind of matches and occasions that I still thrive on, that still get me going," said Djokovic, who is one step away from extending the men's Grand Slam record and matching Margaret Court's all-time singles record of 24.

"(I'm) trying to work as hard as the young guys," he added.

Djokovic broke first in the sixth game of the first set when his 20-year-old challenger committed a series of unforced errors, and took the set when the unseeded American failed to convert his own break point chance in the ninth. 

Shelton appeared frustrated, smashing his racket after a double fault enabled Djokovic to break in the fifth game and take the set. The two traded breaks in the third set, which ended with Djokovic forcing Shelton into a forehand error on match point in the tie-break.

Later on Friday, third seed Medvedev ended Alcaraz's hopes of becoming the first back-to-back men's champion in New York since Swiss great Roger Federer in 2008. 

Neither player was able to break in the first set as it went to a tie-break which Medvedev took 7-3. He broke first in the match to lead 2-0 in the second set, and broke again at 5-1. Alcaraz, who has never won a match from two sets down, started his comeback by winning the third. The fourth set became a battle of wills, including a tense 13-minute sixth game which Medvedev secured with a hard-won break to lead 4-2 before storming to victory. 

"I said I needed to play 11 out of 10, I played 12 out of 10 – except the third set, that's the only way," Medvedev said after the match. "To beat him you need to be better than yourself and I managed to do it."

Medvedev defeated Djokovic in the 2021 U.S. Open final to win the only Grand Slam title in his career, and disrupted the Serb's chance to complete the first calendar-year Grand Slam in men's tennis since 1969.

(With input from agencies)