In a dramatic and simply incredible semifinal clash at Merlbourne's Rod Laver Arena, 22-year-old Jannik Sinner defeated top seed and 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic to seal his place in the Australia Open final. As a result, it will be the 2nd time in 19 years that a player other than Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer will win the Australian Open.
In one of the biggest upsets, Djokovic was outplayed by Sinner 1-6, 2-6, 7-6 (6), 3-6 in three hours and 21 minutes. With this stunning victory, Sinner became the first man to defeat Djokovic in the Australian Open semi-finals.
"It was a very, very tough match. I started off really well.
For two sets, I felt like he was not feeling that great on court so I just tried to keep pushing. Then in the third set I had a match point and I missed the forehand, but this is tennis," Sinner said in his on-court interview as quoted by ATP.
"I just tried to be ready also for the next set, which I started off really well. And obviously, the atmosphere was so great to play here," the Italian player said.
Djokovic saved a match chance in the third-set tie-break but was eventually unable to respond to his opponent's challenge on a fairly off-colour afternoon. The Serbian committed 54 unforced errors and did not create a breakpoint as the Italian stuck to a methodical game style that appeared to challenge Djokovic to beat him in rallies.
Sinner played within himself and showed incredible mental power to fight off a late attack by the World No. 1, who gradually regained form as the match progressed.
Novak Djokovic's intensity takes a hit as Sinner cashes in:
He was smart in tactics and execution, knocking Djokovic back with his weight of shot, but the Serbian fueled his opponent's confidence with a lacklustre early performance that was the polar opposite of his customary level in high-stakes matches.
Djokovic had been below his best for much of the Melbourne fortnight, but his propensity to improve in the final stages of majors has helped him win a record 24 Grand Slam singles championships. In this instance, the Serbian level dropped instead, resulting in a failed late surge.
The "tie-break king" then forced a fourth set by winning the 21st of his last 23 tie-breaks, fending off a match point when Sinner blinked and missed a straightforward forehand.
But Sinner pressed on in the fourth set and swiftly regained control at Rod Laver Arena, allaying worries of a repetition of the 2022 Wimbledon quarter-final, when Djokovic rallied from two sets down to defeat him. With this shocking defeat, Djokovic's 33-match Melbourne winning streak ended, handing him his first Australian Open defeat since 2018.
