Jannik Sinner will meet Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open semifinals. Australian city of Melbourne At this point in the Australian Open, no one has ever performed better than the ten-time champion Novak Djokovic.
He’s won the title every time he’s triumphed in a quarterfinal at Melbourne Park like he did on Tuesday over Taylor Fritz.
Jannik Sinner will meet Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open semifinals
Usually, the deck is loaded against his semifinal opponent. Maybe even more so against Jannik Sinner, ranked fourth, who defeated No. 5 Andrey Rublev in a quarterfinal match that began at 10:42 p.m. and ended at 1:21 a.m. on Wednesday.
In under three and a half hours, Djokovic defeated Fritz 7-6 (3), 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 to go to his record-tying 48th Grand Slam quarterfinal. Because US Open winner Coco Gauff’s previous victory over Marta Kostyuk took more than three hours, their match began late in the afternoon heat.
During an on-court interview with Australian player Nick Kyrgios, who has been out for a long-term injury, Djokovic joked lightly about popping some popcorn and turning on the late-night TV to watch Sinner vs. Rublev.
Sinner’s late finish won’t affect anything in Friday’s semifinals, Djokovic later stated.
“What benefit will I receive? Two days are left. I don’t think there is much of an advantage there,” he remarked. Whoever prevails in that contest tonight has plenty of time to heal.
The night session was delayed past nine o’clock and might have continued late if it weren’t for Sinner’s and Aryna Sabalenka’s consecutive straight-set victories. Joel Embiid leads the Philadelphia 76ers against the San Antonio Spurs with a career-high 70 points.
In the second-set tiebreaker, Sinner trailed 5-1 but rallied to win six straight games, highlighted by an incredible cross-court forehand, to win the match 6-4, 7-6 (5), 6-3.
I want to thank everyone for staying so long,” Sinner said in his on-court interview. “It’s always a huge pleasure to play here on this court. It doesn’t really matter the time.”
Since losing to Djokovic in last year’s Wimbledon semifinals, Sinner has won two of his three matches against the 24-time major champion.
“I’m really lucky to face him again [in] one of the biggest tournaments in the world,” he said. “Happy I can play the No. 1 in the world. He won here sometimes!
Sinner has not yet released a set.
Djokovic, on the other hand, believes he is still improving after spending more than 15 hours on the court during the first five rounds at Melbourne Park. At the Australian Open, he’s on a 33-match winning streak, a tournament record he shares with Monica Seles, his childhood idol. Preview of Timberwolves vs. Hornets: tickets, radio, TV station, injury report
The first set lasted one hour and twenty-four minutes; the first game took sixteen minutes. Fritz won the opening service break and held onto it to win the second game.
I think he played a really good game. It was evident that he had a well-defined strategy. He was quite observant,” Djokovic remarked. I had a hard time playing the first few sets, so to speak.
Things began to come together in the third. The first two matches I served poorly at all, but the third and fourth sets were excellent.”
Fritz had an amazing stat versus one of the greatest returners ever: he saved the first fifteen breakpoints he faced.
“My conversion was really poor but at the end of the day, I managed to break him when it mattered,” said Djokovic.
It was a lengthy, hard encounter, and the first game set the tone. There were 24 points in it, with nine deuces.
The tournament’s longest first set came next. Djokovic secured five set chances in the tiebreaker by capping a 21-shot flurry with a spectacular backhand crosscourt winner. He nodded, put his finger to his ear, and sent a kiss in the direction of a commentary box located at the back of the court. The Fluminense lads endure but secure their first triumph in Carioca
Fritz was broken in the second game of the third set by Djokovic, who converted his 16th opportunity, following two close sets. In the ninth game, Djokovic broke the tie at love once more, clinching the third set.
After exchanging breaks in the fourth game, Djokovic served it out from 5-3 to increase his lifetime head-to-head record against Fritz to 9-0.
Fritz expressed sympathy for Sinner and Rublev, adding that the topic of tournament scheduling had come up in the dressing rooms following Daniil Medvedev’s match, which began after 11 p.m. and ended nearly four hours later. He added that it takes hours after the game to go to sleep due to therapy, treatment, and wrapping up.
Fritz remarked, “It just screws up your whole clock.” “For those guys, I pray.
Sinner mentioned that there were benefits to performing later, including better timing for Italian viewers.
“In my mind, I knew if I win I have two days off, which even if you potentially finish very late, you can recover,” he stated. “However, you don’t look at the time right now!