- Sinner advances to semi-finals
- Djokovic wins 11th title
- Sabalenka, Sinner with swift victories
Jannik Sinner, aged 22, advanced for the first time in his career to the semi-finals of the Australian Open by defeating Andrey Rublev 6-3, 7-6 (5), 6-4 in a late-night match that concluded a tumultuous day at Melbourne Park.
Consequently, one of the most eagerly awaited encounters since the draw has materialised. Sinner, who has yet to lose a set, will face Novak Djokovic in a quarter-final matchup for a spot in the main event. Djokovic advanced closer to an eleventh Australian Open title by prevailing 7-6 (3), 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 after withstanding an admirable challenge from Taylor Fritz, the 12th seed.
By triumph, Djokovic advanced to an unprecedented 48th major semi-final and made his eleventh appearance in round 16 at the Australian Open. The 36-year-old has emerged victorious in the tournament each time he has reached this juncture in Melbourne.
Fritz, who entered the match with a 0-8 record against Djokovic but played daring, attacking tennis in the first two sets, served exceptionally well and saved all 15 break points he faced, demanded a substantial effort from Fritz to hold off. Fritz recovered from two set points on Djokovic’s serve in the first set to win the second set before Djokovic regained control.
“I suffered greatly in the first couple of sets, also as a result of his high-quality tennis,” said Djokovic, who Nick Kyrgios the court reviewed on the serving was excellent; he remained near the boundary.” He was suffocating me in a sense during the rallies. “I spent the majority of the rallies on the back foot.”
Djokovic’s Tribute to Seles
At Melbourne Park, Djokovic has completed 33 consecutive victories, a streak he shares with Monica Seles, who has won the title four times. As someone who once idolised Seles, Djokovic stated that the distinction was even more exceptional. “I genuinely adore Monica,” he declared. “During my childhood in Serbia, Monica was practically in my mind every single day because my tennis mother, Jelena Gencic, who passed away in 2012, collaborated with Monica when she was a child.
“Consequently, I was hearing a great deal regarding Monica: Monica this, Monica that, Monica eats this, Monica sleeps this much, and Monica practices in this manner.” Consequently, Monica was undoubtedly one of my heroines and idols from my youth, and I held her in the highest regard. Thus, when I finally had the opportunity to meet her for the very first time, I was extremely anxious.
Anticipated, Sinner and Rublev, the fourth and fifth seeds, to engage in a fierce contest. Rublev responded admirably to Sinner’s first-set triumph by matching the Italian’s intensity in the second set and gaining a 5-1 advantage in the tiebreak. For the first time in the tournament, Sinner performed admirably under duress. He executed the ball flawlessly in the deciding circumstances to secure the set, cruising through six consecutive points from 1 to 5.
The disparity between Rublev and Sinner, who both play a style of tennis predicated on dominating from inside the baseline, is merely one ranking position. However, the gap is already substantial and widening. In order to close the door in three sets, Sinner’s composure under duress and more comprehensive and varied game were decisive factors. The misfortune of the quarter-finals continues to plague Rublev, as he is currently 0-10 in grand slam quarter-finals.
Late Victories Avert Scheduling Crisis
Aryna Sabalenka and Sinner’s swift straight-sets victories in the night session contributed to a respectable 1:22 am conclusion and spared Tennis Australia embarrassment after the Australian Open organisers were criticised for their poor scheduling, which, had either match been more competitive, could have resulted in a highly late finish.
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Tennis Australia designated Rod Laver Arena for the day session at 1:00 pm, one hour later than the schedule for the remainder of the tournament. Following a 3hr 8min match between Coco Gauff and Marta Kostyuk and a 3hr 45min match between Novak Djokovic and Fritz, Sabalenka and Barbora Krejcikova arrived at Rod Laver Arena for the inaugural night session match at 9 pm, which was two hours later than the originally planned time.
As the first men’s semi-final approached and a late, late night anticipated, Tennis Australia representatives discussed the possibility of relocating one of their matches to Margaret Court Arena with the participants in both night matches.
“They inquire about our thoughts, opinions, and desire to be moved immediately,” Sabalenka explained. We simply informed them, ‘Let us observe the outcome of this match.'” “If it’s going to be an extremely long time, then it might be a good idea to be relocated.” Therefore, they will not complete the task as Medvedev did last night. Although Novak emerged victorious in that set 6-2, it was still quite early when the decision was made to postpone this match.
