Chasing history, Novak Djokovic sealed a 6-3 5-7 6-1 6-1 win against Carlos Alcaraz in the men's singles semi-final of the ongoing French Open, at the Philippe-Chatrier Court in Roland Garros (Paris) on Friday. 

Showing his aggression right from the start, the Serbian ace cruised to a 6-3 win in the first set. But world number one-ranked Alcaraz had other plans and staged a brilliant fight-back to claim a 7-5 win in the second set. 

But in the third set, the Spaniard suffered cramps and the world number three cruised to a 6-1 win, followed by another 6-1 victory in the fourth set to secure a berth in the final. This was the duo's first Grand Slam meeting, second overall, and Djokovic will be eyeing history in the final to become the player with most Grand Slam titles (23). 

Djokovic currently has 22 titles, level with Rafael Nadal. Also, to guarantee pole position in the ATP rankings, Djokovic will need to win the final on Sunday. The 36-year-old Djokovic is the second-oldest men’s singles finalist in tournament history (since 1925).

Djokovic in his post-match interview praised Carlos for his outstanding fight-back and also expressed gratitude for being lucky when Carlos was plagued by muscle cramp. He said, "First and foremost I have to say tough luck for Carlos, obviously. At this level, the last thing you want is cramps and physical problems in the late stages of a Grand Slam. I feel for him, I feel sorry. I hope he can recover and come back very soon. It was tough, obviously for him not to know whether to retire [from] the match or finish the match the way he did. But congratulations to him for fighting spirit and hanging in all the way to the last point. I pay great respect to him."