24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic advanced to his 11th Australian Open semi-final after defeating USA's Taylor Fritz on January 23.
Djokovic's match against Fritz began intensely, with the American successfully saving three break points in the opening 16-minute round. The 36-year-old asserted his dominance by winning the first set, but Fritz managed to temporarily shift the momentum by claiming the second set.
Despite facing difficulties in converting break points early on, Djokovic, a 10-time Australian Open champion, rebounded in the third set to regain control of the match. Despite Fritz's resilient effort, Djokovic ultimately triumphed with a 7-6(3), 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 victory.
The win marked Djokovic's ninth triumph against Fritz and secured his place in the 11th Australian Open semi-final while denying Fritz his first major semi-final appearance.
Djokovic achieved a significant milestone by becoming the second player, after 20-time Grand Slam winner Roger Federer, to reach 700 hard-court victories in the ATP during the Open Era.
In the semi-finals, Djokovic is set to compete against either Russia's Andrey Rublev or Italy's Jannik Sinner.
In an on-court interview with Nick Krygios, Djokovic commended both Rublev and Sinner, mentioning that he plans to watch their match at home with some popcorn.
"Both are in great form. I watched Rublev the other night against de Minaur. Some of the quickest & most grueling exchanges I've seen in Rod laver arena in years. Sinner is playing the tennis of his life. He had a fantastic ending of last season. I can expect him to always play on the highest level. Let's get some popcorn, you and I. We'll chill on the sofa, enjoy the match and watch them play," said Djokovic.
GAUFF OVERCOMES KOSTYUK
Current US Open champion Coco Gauff secured her spot in the Australian Open semifinals by overcoming Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk in a challenging match that concluded 7-6(6), 6-7(3), 6-2.
Despite facing a 5-1 deficit in the opening set and an early break behind in the second, Gauff displayed composure. She saved crucial set points, fought back in the tie-breaks, and commenced the third set with determination.
A strong performance in the decisive set ultimately sealed the victory after a demanding three-hour battle. With this achievement, Gauff joined a select group, becoming the second teenager in this century to win her first 10 matches in a single calendar year, following in the footsteps of Justine Henin in 2001.
SABALENKA TRIUMPHS OVER KREJCIKOVA
World no. 2 Aryna Sabalenka extended her bid to retain the Australian Open women's singles title by defeating Barbora Krejcikova in straight sets during the quarterfinal on January 23, at the Rod Laver Arena. The Belarusian star secured the victory in an hour and 11 minutes with a 6-2, 6-3 scoreline. Sabalenka has reached a Grand Slam semi-final for the sixth consecutive time.
She has not lost a set in the current hard-court major at Melbourne Park and has recorded three bagels, including two against Ukraine's Lesia Tsurenko in the third round.
(Powered by AI, Inputs by India Today)
MORE ON SPORTS TAK:
