Victory number 26 in a row on hard courts, 16th in as many duels with fellow Italians, for a new Grand Slam semifinal - fifth in a row.
Janik Siner's great form continues - the guy from South Tyrol easily defeated Lorenzo Muzeti (6:1, 6:4, 6:2) and advanced to the top four at the US Open.
He is two steps away from defending his crown, and the first to follow will be Felix Auger-Aliassime. The second semi-final will bring a super derby between Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic.
That Siner is by far the best player on hard courts today is evidenced by the fact that only two tennis players in history have had a longer winning streak on hard courts - Novak Djokovic (27, during 2011 and 2012) and Roger Federer (40, from 2005 to 2008). The Italian is the current US Open champion, and has also won the last two Australian Opens.
When it comes to this year's quarterfinals, Siner wasn't as convincing as in the previous round with Alexander Bublik, but he practically didn't allow Muzeti to even hope for a win. After all, on the way to the semifinals, only Denis Shapovalov managed to take a set from him.
"Of course Lorenzo and I know each other well, we come from the same country. Every time there are a lot of Italian players in the draw, and I know there are a lot of them in the stands, so it's nice to play here," said Siner.
The fact that they are teammates on the national team is secondary when they meet on different sides of the net.
"We are friends and play in the Davis Cup together, but during matches like this we have to put friendship aside. When we shake hands after the match, everything is fine again," added Siner.
There are few players who currently have a positive record with the world number one, but Auger-Aliassime is one of them. The Canadian player, whose US Open semi-final is his greatest success at Grand Slam tournaments (including four in 2021), leads 2-1 in wins.
What is important is that they met in 2022, long before Siner's meteoric rise, while their last duel took place about twenty days ago in Cincinnati - the Italian won convincingly, 6:0, 6:2.
Siner or Ože-Alijasim and Alkaras or Đoković - it's time for the final battles.
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