Serbia equals the No. 22 Slam record; Greek aces aim for 1st Major and 1st placeMELBOURNE: Stefanos Tsitsipas participated in an on-field interview with Jim Courier after the third seed sent the Russian Karen Khachanov 7-6 (2), 6-4, 6-7 (6), 6-3 for the first time Australian Open final.
The interaction ended somewhat abruptly when Tsitsipas, talking about going for the first time Grand Slam 1 title and world ranking, turning to the whole house seems to be a sea of blue and white. “Let’s do it, guys,” the Greek urged fans at Rod Laver Arena“Let’s go!”
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Rampant Djokovic meets Tsitsipas in Australian Open final
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An energetic Novak Djokovic advanced to his 10th Australian Open final to close with a record 22nd Grand Slam crown, when only Stefanos Tsitsipas stood in his way.
The Serbian fourth seed overcame an early wobble to overtake Tommy Paul, an underrated American, 7-5, 6-1, 6-2 at Rod Laver Stadium. Arena.
Another title on Sunday will put him alongside Rafael Nadal on 22 Grand Slam wins and see the 35-year-old return to world number one for the first time since last June.
Greek third seed Tsitsipas, who beat Russian 18th seed Karen Khachanov 7-6 (7/2), 6-4, 6-7 (6/8), 6-3 in the semifinals remaining, can also become the highest ranked player if he raises the trophy.
Djokovic played the match without his father Srdjan by his side after he was filmed posing with a man holding a Russian flag with the face of Vladimir Putin following his son’s quarter-final victory on Wednesday .
“I’m really grateful that I have enough air in my feet to be able to play at this level on one of the greatest tennis courts in the world,” said Djokovic, who is currently 11-0 up for the season and into the overall. 33rd Grand Slam finale.
The win extended Djokovic’s unbeaten streak at the Australian Open to 27 games for sole ownership of the Melbourne Park Open Era record ahead of Andre Agassi.
Djokovic has never played with Paul before and says he is wary of a “very explosive, very dynamic player”, and the American initially refused to leave quietly.
The Serbian hit his opponent straight for an early break, then broke again when Paul, who was ranked 35, hit a long forehand to take a 5-1 lead.
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A scuffle with the umpire about his toweling between points seemed to have Djokovic worried and he was broken twice in a row as Paul bounced back to take a 5-5 lead.
Djokovic rallied to hold serve and break again and won the set in the 59th minute.
After that stagger, it was fine, despite repeated gripping his tied hamstring, getting through the next two innings with minimal resistance.
He will meet Tsitsipas next after the Greek reached his first Australian final and finished second only at a Grand Slam.
In the previous match, at Roland Garros 2021, Tsitsipas fell to Djokovic after 5 sets after leading 2-0.
At 24, Tsitsipas is the youngest player to reach the Melbourne final since 23-year-old Djokovic in 2011.
“As a kid, I dreamed of one day being able to play on this pitch with the best players in the world,” said Tsitsipas, who is also unbeaten this season with a 10-0 record. .
Tsitsipas has thrived in Melbourne throughout his career after bursting out at the 2019 event at the age of 20 when he dethroned defending champion Roger Federer in the round of 16.
He went on to reach the semi-finals that year and again in 2021 and 2022. He entered the clash with Khachanov brimming with confidence.
Despite failing to cross the line on serve for the match 5-4 in the third set, then with two points in the tiebreak, he kept his cool to win and date Djokovic.
The stands covered with Greek flags responded 6’4” Tsitsipas with a seriousness that turned the majestic site into a fortress. Melbourne has a Greek community of around 400,000 people, the largest Greek-speaking community outside of Greece, so much so that Tsitsipas considers it his ‘hometown’
In Sunday’s final, the third seed will play Novak Djokovicwho is looking for a 10th title at Melbourne Park and a 22nd Grand Slam title equalizing the record. Djokovicmomentarily distracted by a collision with the umpire as he was starting the clock, was twice broken by his unseeded American opponent tommy paul leveled 5 all in the first set of the second semi-final.
The Serb then came back to win 7-5, 6-1, 6-2 to reach the final here for the 10th time. The long-haired Greek tennis player said the number 1 position was his childhood dream.
“I’m very happy that this opportunity (first major title and No.1) came here in Australia and nowhere else, because it’s a meaningful place,” said Tsitsipas.
The 24-year-old, fouled on timing and footwork, quickly regrouped, refusing to give up the game.
“I’m playing great tennis. I’m enjoying myself. I don’t see any downside or negative in what I’m trying to do out there,” he said. “Even if it doesn’t work out, I’m still very optimistic and positive about any outcome, any opponent I face. This is what I’m missing in my game. I’m real. belief in what I can create. I strive for it every day.”
The title match, the duo’s 13th meeting, saw Djokovic leading 10-2, including three consecutive wins after the 35-year-old came back from two sets of losses in the French Open final. wide 2021 .
It’s still a while before the men’s belt fight, but the wits have begun. Tsitsipas is serious when he says he has no recollection of the incident. rolandgarros clash of two years ago, he appeared in a major final for the first time.
“I won the match, my memory of it is very positive, it was the first time I’ve come back from two sets,” Djokovic said in the on-court interview.
