Sports
Alcaraz vs. Djokovic at the US Open: How each can win
NEW YORK — Novak Djokovic knows the world is expecting another final between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz on Sunday at the US Open.
And even he — the man with the most major titles in history and someone who spent 428 weeks atop the rankings — believes them to be the best two players in the world. He has spoken openly about how important the duo is for the sport and its future.
But despite all that, the 38-year-old Djokovic isn’t quite ready to pass the baton yet.
“Everybody is probably expecting and anticipating the finals between two of them,” Djokovic said following his quarterfinal victory over Taylor Fritz on Tuesday. “I’m going to try to, you know, mess up the plans of most of the people.”
Djokovic will have his chance to do just that Friday as he takes on 22-year-old Alcaraz, the No. 2 seed, in an eagerly anticipated semifinal match. The winner will face either the top-ranked Sinner or No. 25 seed Felix Auger-Aliassime, who also play Friday, in Sunday’s final. Alcaraz and Sinner have played against each other in the previous two Slam finals, at Wimbledon and the French Open, and have combined to win the last seven major titles.
Friday will mark the ninth career meeting between Djokovic and Alcaraz, with Djokovic holding a 5-3 edge, and with the two most recent victories. But, even with that history, Alcaraz is still favored to win the match.
For both players, there’s a lot on the line. Djokovic is hoping to keep his dream alive of winning his 25th major Slam title, which would break a tie for the most all time with Margaret Court, and Alcaraz would like to reach his third consecutive major final and potentially win the sixth of his career.
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of Friday’s semifinal.
Can Djokovic do it?
Djokovic has a few things going for him. First, he’s never lost to Alcaraz on hard court. Their last meeting, in the quarterfinals at the Australian Open to start the year, saw Djokovic force a comeback — after sustaining a leg injury early and dropping the opening set — behind powerful groundstrokes, strong defense and vintage movement that seemed to get better and better as the match progressed.
Alcaraz later admitted that Djokovic’s injury caused him to lose his focus slightly, and Djokovic credited his vast career experience in helping him overcome the hindrance and any distraction.
Throughout the US Open, Djokovic has been pushed to four sets in three of his five matches, including during his 6-3, 7-5, 3-6, 6-4 victory over Fritz on Tuesday. He’s had some injury scares, of varying degrees of severity, throughout the tournament and the season, and he was grateful to have the extra off day ahead of the semifinal showdown. He’s likely going to need it. Through the semifinals, Djokovic has spent almost 3½ more hours on court than his younger opponent.
“I’m going to try to take one day at a time, really take care of my body, try to relax and recover,” Djokovic said in the early morning hours on Wednesday. “The next couple of days is really key for me to really get my body in shape and ready to battle five sets if it’s needed.
“I just would really love that, would love to be fit enough to play — and to play potentially five sets with Carlos. I know that my best tennis is going to be required, but I’d rise to the occasion.”
He admitted he wasn’t feeling “very fresh at the moment” in his news conference after the quarterfinals but was hopeful. He also was confident in his ability to “grind,” as he had done against Fritz, and find an extra gear at the most crucial moments. “You just have to play with your heart and fight,” he said. “That’s what really gave me the win in the end.”
Although not quite in his prime form, Djokovic has shown himself to be a formidable foe for Father Time throughout his run in New York. He has moved around the court with ease and has been buoyed by his strong serving throughout. He’s been victorious in 92% of his service games and had 57 aces. Not to mention, he’s also won an impressive 33% of his return games.
“I think he always serves well, like, on his first serves,” Fritz said on Tuesday night. “He hits his spots well. He gets a good amount of free points and aces … I think what’s made it tough in the past is how much variance there is in his second serve.”
Djokovic’s third-round opponent, Cameron Norrie, who he had played six times previously, was equally effusive in his praise.
“He served incredibly well, maybe the best he’s ever served against me,” Norrie said. “I was really impressed with that.”
OK, but Alcaraz is still the favorite to win the match, right?
Yes. There has been no one more dominant throughout the fortnight than Alcaraz. Arriving in New York having just won the title in Cincinnati, he was the only man to reach the quarterfinals without dropping a set and he’s faced just one tiebreak in his five matches. He’s been virtually unstoppable, even against high quality opponents.
Jiri Lehecka, the tournament’s No. 20 seed who Alcaraz defeated in the quarterfinals in under two hours, said Alcaraz — or the “Grand Slam version of Carlos” — simply did everything better when it mattered most.
“If you want to beat him, you need to win at least a few of the big points, and he won all of them,” Lehecka said on Tuesday. “Even when I played a really good rally, even when I tried to put him under pressure, go to the net, change the rhythm, do something, he was there, and he had an answer for everything I tried.”
And if all that weren’t enough, Alcaraz has won an astounding 99% of his service games — all but one — in New York. He told reporters his serve had been his primary focus for improvement in the past year and credited that, and his consistency with it, for his recent results.
“Tennis, it’s really hard sometimes, because one day you can serve really, really well, and the next match you can feel completely different and really bad,” he said after defeating Lehecka. “So I’m trying to maintain the focus on the serve, just trying to do everything the same and getting the good feeling.”
Alcaraz said he knew Djokovic was “hungry” and had an “ambition for more” when thinking ahead to their (then potential) clash, but said he had his own motivation: revenge. “Obviously,” he said Tuesday, while alluding to their previous matches.
So, who will win this match?
One thing is for certain: Both players will be bringing their best level and an unwavering desire to advance to Sunday’s final.
Djokovic has beaten Alcaraz on this surface at a Grand Slam this season, so he knows exactly what he needs to do in order to get it done again. Most importantly, he believes he can do it. He also is acutely aware of the ticking clock on his career, and that he only has limited chances remaining to achieve his dream for 25.
But whether or not that will be motivating or debilitating in a high-pressure situation remains to be seen after a string of semifinal exits. Djokovic also knows that the longer the match goes, the more it favors the younger, and fresher, Alcaraz, so he will need to come out strong from the first point.
Alcaraz doesn’t have any of that same weight on his shoulders. But what he does have is confidence, and a game that is clicking on all cylinders. He hasn’t faced much adversity throughout his run, but if he can handle those moments, if and when they arise, and remain locked in, it certainly feels like this is his match to win.
Prediction: Alcaraz in four sets.
Sports
Tiger Woods arrested, charged with DUI after Florida crash: police
Tiger Woods’ turbulent career veered into fresh turmoil on Friday when the golf icon was arrested and charged with driving under the influence after a rollover crash near his Florida home, authorities said.
Woods, 50, escaped injury but was detained after his vehicle clipped a truck while attempting to overtake on a residential road on Jupiter Island, flipping onto its side before sliding to a stop.
Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek said Woods — who was arrested for driving under the influence in 2017 — showed signs of “impairment”, although he passed a breathalyser test.
“When it came time for us to ask for a urinalysis test, he refused, and so he’s been charged with DUI, with property damage and refusal to submit to a lawful test in the crash,” Budensiek said.
The 15-time major champion was released later on Friday, with Florida law requiring him to remain in jail for at least eight hours before he could post bail.
Budensiek said drug recognition experts who examined Woods at the scene found the golfer “lethargic” and believed he was impaired with “some kind of medication or drug.”
No drugs or medication were found in his vehicle and since Woods refused the urine test, his right under Florida law, authorities “will never get definitive results as to what he was impaired on at the time of the crash,” Budensiek said.
‘Could have been worse’
While neither Woods nor the driver of the other vehicle was injured, Budensiek said the incident on the two-lane road “could have been a lot worse.”
“Had somebody been moving in the opposite direction, we would not be having a conversation saying there was no injuries,” he said.
Budensiek said he didn’t know how fast Woods was driving in the moments before the crash.
He said the driver of the truck had slowed to make a turn, then tried to move to the side of the road when he saw Woods’s fast-moving vehicle attempting to overtake him.
“When I show you the photos, they kind of speak for themselves … you can see that [Woods] slid for a decent space before he came to a stop,” said the sheriff, who said that after the crash Woods climbed out of the passenger-side window of his Land Rover.
President Donald Trump expressed sympathy for Woods in remarks to reporters in Miami following the incident.
“He’s got some difficulty, there was an accident, and that’s all I know,” Trump said. “Very close friend of mine. He’s an amazing person, amazing man, but, uh, some difficulty.”
Woods was arrested in Jupiter in 2017 after police found him asleep at the wheel of his damaged car. Woods eventually pleaded guilty to reckless driving and said he had taken a mix of painkillers.
Five years ago, Woods was involved in a serious car crash in California that left him with severe right leg injuries that required pins inserted in his foot and ankle and a rod in his tibia as well as a follow-up surgery in 2023.
Woods returned from that crash at the 2022 Masters, where he struggled to walk all four rounds on the way to a 47th-place finish.
Woods, whose clean-cut image was left in tatters after a 2009 sex scandal that upended his career, has been working to return from an Achilles tendon rupture last March and back surgery last October.
He competed earlier this week in the TGL simulator indoor golf league finals and had not ruled out playing in next month’s Masters, where his five victories include his first major title in 1997 and his most recent in 2019.
“This body … it doesn’t recover like it did when it was 24, 25. It doesn´t mean I’m not trying,” Woods said. “I keep trying.”
Woods, whose 82 PGA Tour career victories are level with Sam Snead for the all-time record, has not competed on tour since missing the cut at the British Open in July 2024.
He last made the cut at the 2024 Masters, where he finished 60th.
Sports
Men’s March Madness live tracker: Updates from every Sweet 16 game Friday
The first half of the Elite Eight is set with Arizona, Illinois, Purdue and Iowa punching their tickets Thursday. Who could join them in the regional finals of the 2026 men’s NCAA tournament?
ESPN reporters on-site in Chicago and Washington, D.C. tracking Friday’s Sweet 16 action in real-time.
Jump to: Game previews, predictions
SWEET 16 LIVE TRACKER

SWEET 16 PREVIEWS
All times Eastern.
9:45 p.m., CBS
Borzello’s prediction: UConn 68-64
Medcalf’s prediction: UConn 70-65
How Michigan State can advance to Elite Eight: Personnel matchups generate the most headlines during the NCAA tournament, but coaching matchups are equally — if not more — impactful. During a tenure that began in 1995, Tom Izzo has developed an uncanny ability to zero in on an opposing team’s top players and create problems for them. That’s the Spartans’ ticket to another Elite Eight.
Izzo’s primary mission against UConn is to limit Tarris Reed Jr.’s impact on the game. The Huskies are a different team when he’s a dominant presence in the post. If Reed is grabbing offensive rebounds and giving them an abundance of second-chance opportunities, Michigan State will be in a tough spot. The good news for the Spartans is that they are connecting on 35.9% of their 3-point attempts and capitalizing on second-chance opportunities with a No. 10 national ranking in offensive rebounding rate. It will be key for them to hit more 3s, extend UConn’s defense and create more paths to the basket for Jeremy Fears Jr. & Co. They have to give UConn a reason to guard on the perimeter — if the Spartans just allow the Huskies to sit in the lane, challenge shots around the rim and grab rebounds, Michigan State could lose.
Izzo has been in this position before — against better teams — and won. His experience will matter in a matchup against Dan Hurley.
How UConn can advance to the Elite Eight: To beat Izzo, UConn will have to show up as the top-notch defensive outfit that held UCLA to just a 39% clip inside the arc in the second round. The Huskies’ win over the Bruins served as a reminder that they can be a great defensive team when they want to be. In the Big Ten tournament, UCLA had produced 132 points per 100 possessions in a win over Michigan State. In the round of 32, the Bruins — who played without leading scorer Tyler Bilodeau (knee) — scored only 57 points, their second-lowest total of the season. UCLA star Donovan Dent had nine assists but also finished 2-for-9 shooting with a pair of turnovers. That’s the same attention UConn will need to give Fears. When he’s comfortable, Michigan State’s offense soars. The Huskies can’t let that happen.
On offense, Braylon Mullins could be an X factor. Reed had a double-double against UCLA but not the historic numbers he put up against Furman in the first round (31 points, 27 rebounds). Alex Karaban recorded a career-high 27 points against the Bruins, with Solo Ball and Silas Demary Jr. scoring two points combined. If Reed and Karaban can create a balanced inside-outside attack, Michigan State will have to find a way to disrupt that, which could give Mullins — who is averaging 14.5 points in two NCAA tournament games — more freedom and opportunities to make plays and create off the dribble or on off-ball screens.
The Huskies have a multitude of options to score, and as long as most of them are effective, they can get back to the Elite Eight. — Medcalf
10:10 p.m., TBS/truTV
Borzello’s prediction: Iowa State 67-65
Medcalf’s prediction: Iowa State 74-68
How Tennessee can advance to the Elite Eight: To beat Iowa State, Tennessee will have to play the same disciplined defense that stopped Virginia in the final minutes of Sunday’s second-round game. That task begins with Felix Okpara, who had four blocks against the Cavaliers and altered other shots, including a late drive by Thijs De Ridder that Okpara blocked during Virginia’s comeback attempt. Opposing players had made only 30% of their shots around the rim against Okpara entering Sunday’s game, per Synergy Sports data. He’ll have to protect the rim against Iowa State, which had a significant advantage in paint points against Kentucky (34-20) — but he won’t have to do it alone.
Tennessee has the personnel to handle every one-on-one matchup defensively. The Vols can guard at every spot. They will have to put pressure on Tamin Lipsey, sharpshooter Milan Momcilovic and Joshua Jefferson, if he plays, to win. That defensive effort coupled with standout performances from Ja’Kobi Gillespie and Nate Ament would be the formula for a Tennessee trip to the Elite Eight.
How Iowa State can advance to the Elite Eight: With or without Jefferson, Iowa State will have the same blueprint against Tennessee: Move the ball to find the best shot on offense, force turnovers with defensive pressure and score on fast breaks. Although they didn’t have Jefferson, who is a game-time decision because of an ankle injury, the Cyclones forced 20 turnovers in their second-round win over Kentucky. Playing through Lipsey — who finished with 26 points, 10 assists and only three turnovers against Kentucky — the Cyclones registered 150 points per 100 possessions and made 63% of their shots after halftime. They are 18-2 when Lipsey’s assist-to-turnover ratio is 3-to-1 or better.
Gillespie and Ament combined for five turnovers in Tennessee’s second-round win over Virginia. Iowa State can pressure that duo into the same mistakes Otega Oweh and Denzel Aberdeen (eight turnovers combined) made for Kentucky, even if Jefferson sits out another game. That’s how the Cyclones can advance. — Medcalf
Sports
Ben White booed in return — but he did more than flat England teammates in Uruguay draw
LONDON — However Ben White imagined his return to the England setup would play out, not once could he have pictured this.
Booed by some supporters when introduced as a 69th-minute substitute, he then marked his comeback after a four-year absence with his first international goal — only to be booed even more.
And just when it looked as though his efforts had salvaged victory from a thoroughly abject collective display, White conceded a stoppage-time penalty, which Federico Valverde converted to give Uruguay a 1-1 draw at Wembley Stadium.
Even before White stepped onto the field, his presence in the England squad for this window was not without controversy.
He declined to play for England ever since leaving the 2022 World Cup early for what the Football Association described at the time as “personal reasons.” Various outlets, including ESPN, reported at the time that White had in fact fallen out with a member of the coaching staff, and although Gareth Southgate later publicly denied any bust-up, the Arsenal defender subsequently refused a call-up and did not play for England again.
That was, until Friday.
England manager Thomas Tuchel did not select White in his initial expanded 35-man squad for this camp, but Jarell Quansah‘s injury triggered a surprise late inclusion. Tuchel justified the decision by saying “everybody deserves a second chance” following talks with White in recent months, but there were many among the 80,581 crowd who clearly did not agree.
“I [was told] that he was booed,” Tuchel said. “I didn’t hear it on the field because I was involved in the changes and instructions. It cannot be the majority. There were some boos and some mixed reception for him, which I am disappointed about because, of course, protect our players.
“He was excellent in camp. He deserved to come on. He deserved also to start and got us almost the winner. But I also understood that it happened to other players before here.
“He needs to take it on the chin,” Tuchel said. “We will always protect him, and hopefully we can put it behind [us] because he is ready to write some new chapters. We are ready to give him the chance, so hopefully everyone can move on and accept it.”
White’s roller-coaster cameo contrasted markedly with England’s flat-line performance that preceded it.
Tuchel had talked up the merits of his split-squad idea — 11 players were given this week to rest and occupied a Wembley box together here before resuming training ahead of Tuesday’s friendly against Japan — by framing this as a key audition for a “plane ticket” to the World Cup.
1:44
Burley slams ‘awful’ England after draw with Uruguay
Craig Burley reacts to England’s 1-1 draw with Uruguay at Wembley.
What greeted the players instead were paper planes. In many ways, this was a throwback to the dark days of years gone by: desperately uninspired football and fans expressing their discontent by throwing folded paper at the pitch, waving phone lights like they’re at a Coldplay gig and booing whichever player they had in their crosshairs.
Southgate worked exceptionally hard to move England on from nights like this, and although there were the occasional nonevents, by and large he achieved it.
And Tuchel will hope White is a unique case. Perhaps part of it was that his selection came at the expense of Trent Alexander-Arnold, a popular and decorated player for Liverpool and Real Madrid yet one who has never fully been trusted by Southgate and now Tuchel.
But more likely, it is White’s perceived indifference in playing for his country. The accusation of insouciance is difficult to shake, and these supporters, many of whom are facing bills running into the tens of thousands to follow England at this summer’s World Cup, do not take kindly to any ambiguous loyalty.
2:09
Tuchel: Trent must accept England squad decision
Thomas Tuchel explained why he left Real Madrid defender Trent Alexander-Arnold out of the latest England squad.
The team’s overall level of performance did not help the mood, either. Phil Foden was given a chance — perhaps his final chance — to stake a claim for the No. 10 role, but he could not get England playing. What he got for his trouble was an appalling tackle early in the second half from Ronald Araújo that left Tuchel incensed but somehow went entirely unpunished. Foden was subsequently substituted due to injury.
England were equally irate at the decision to award a spot kick after VAR review for White’s challenge on substitute Federico Viñas, a decision Harry Maguire branded a “ridiculous penalty.”
German referee Sven Jablonski appeared to give Manuel Ugarte two yellow cards but not send the Manchester United midfielder off, with the officials later saying the second one was in fact rescinded.
“I think it was not a good performance [from the referee] at all throughout the match,” Tuchel said.
“And I cannot understand that the tackle like this [on Foden] is not even checked. I think the penalty in the end was very, very soft and then there were like debates that a player got two yellow cards in the match and not being sent off. OK, bad day at the office.”
But once the refereeing row subsides, England will reflect on an evening when few individuals pressed their claims. James Trafford and James Garner made their debuts. Fikayo Tomori appeared for the first time in 2½ years, Maguire for the first time in 18 months, Dominic Calvert-Lewin as a substitute for the first time in almost five years.
Garner and Maguire were probably the standouts on a very ordinary night. Tuchel has vowed to harness the Premier League trend of set-piece prowess, and so in that context, England’s goal coming from a corner will be a source of encouragement.
He was, in fact, quite upbeat about the performance as a whole, aside from Foden and Noni Madueke both leaving the field prematurely, the latter seen wearing a knee brace as he departed the stadium.
“I learned a lot because it was a tough opponent — you just see it in the details, you learn a lot and you see the level,” Tuchel said. “We knew it would be a difficult opponent, and we needed this kind of test.”
It might have been one Tuchel anticipated but White, for certain, did not.
-
Business1 week agoFlipkart group CFO to leave co amid IPO plans – The Times of India
-
Business1 week agoVideo: The Effects of High Oil Prices
-
Fashion7 days agoChina’s textile & apparel exports surge 17% to $50 bn in Jan-Feb 2026
-
Sports1 week agoRating Adidas’ 2026 World Cup away shirts: Argentina, Spain, Mexico and more
-
Fashion1 week agoThe hidden $1.62 war tax now embedded in every garment you source
-
Sports1 week agoAmerican Conference Commissioner Tim Pernetti thanks Trump for Army-Navy game executive order
-
Tech1 week ago
The Corsair 4000D RS PC Case Keeps Your System Cool
-
Tech1 week ago‘Uncanny Valley’: Nvidia’s ‘Super Bowl of AI,’ Tesla Disappoints, and Meta’s VR Metaverse ‘Shutdown’
