aFri, 26 Jan 2024 14:59:00 +0100
b26.01.2024 14:59
c
Update: 26/01/2024 14:59 Issued: 26/01/2024, 07:03
Australian Open tennis tournament, January 26, 2024, Melbourne. Jannik Sinner from Italy. AP/Andy Wong
Melbourne – World No. 1 Serbian Novak Djokovic will not win his eleventh Australian Open tennis title and record twenty-fifth Grand Slam title. Last year’s tournament winner was not enough today in the semi-finals against Jannik Sinner, to whom he lost in three hours and 26 minutes 1:6, 2:6, 7:6, 3:6. The 22-year-old Italian will face Russia’s Daniil Medvedev in his first Grand Slam final on Sunday, who beat Germany’s Alexander Zverev 5-7, 3-6, 7-6, 7-6, 6-3. Czech tennis player Jan Kumstát will play for the junior title on Saturday. The Czech representatives failed in the junior doubles final.
The 36-year-old Djokovic lost in Melbourne after 33 matches, a winning streak he held since 2019. It has been 2195 days since his last defeat in the 2018 round of 16 against Korea’s Jeong Hyeon. Two years ago, he did not participate in the tournament because he arrived in Australia without the mandatory vaccination against covid-19, but he returned to the throne again last year. Now he could win the 25th Grand Slam title, which would make him independent at the head of the historical ranking ahead of the Australian Margaret Court.
World number four Sinner became the first Italian singles finalist at the Australian Open. He confirmed that he has been doing well against Djokovic lately. He did not offer the Serb a single break point in the match and beat him for the third time in the past four matches.
“I was looking forward to this match because it’s always great to have a player like that against you that you can learn from. I lost to him in the semifinals at Wimbledon last year and I learned a lot. It’s all a process,” Sinner said on court.
Sinner is also the first Italian to beat the world number one at a Grand Slam since the ATP rankings were established in 1973. At 22 years and 163 days, he is also the youngest men’s singles finalist at the Australian Open since Djokovic in 2008.
Sinner held the development of the match in his hands from the beginning. He took a 3-0 lead in the first set, relying on a 100% serve and towards the end, he took Djokovic’s serve once more. He won the opening set in 36 minutes.
Even in the second set, Djokovic couldn’t find a recipe for Sinner’s serve. He himself lost serve again twice and lost the set again. Djokovic faced 0:2 at the Australian Open only for the fourth time in his career. “I started off great and for two sets I felt (Djokovic) wasn’t feeling too well. That’s why I tried to keep pushing,” said Sinner.
At the beginning of the third set, Djokovic saved a break point, and after an even course, a shortened game was decided. The Serb led 4:2, but Sinner turned the tide and had the first match point at 6:5. Djokovic turned him away and forced a continuation thanks to three consecutive won balls. Sinner lost a set for the first time in the tournament.
Also in the fourth set, the Italian tennis player was reliable on the serve. The crucial moment came in the fourth game when the serving Djokovic lost five balls in a row while leading 40-0 and Sinner earned a key break. He then added to the game to win.
“I believe I can play with the best in the world. I have my first Grand Slam final on Sunday and we’ll see how it goes. I’ll come here with a smile on my face and try to play my best,” Sinner said.
Medvedev was not enough for Zverev in the first two sets, but then the third player in the world managed to mobilize his strength and equalized after two successful tie-breaks. He won the shortened game of the third set 7:4, then won the fourth set 7:5. The fifth set was decided by a break at 3:2. He was happy about the progress after almost four and a half hours.
Medvedeva awaits her sixth Grand Slam final, having triumphed so far only in 2020 at the US Open. At the Australian Open, he unsuccessfully tried to win the title twice – in 2021 he was not good enough for Djokovic, and a year later he lost to Rafael Nadal from Spain.
Medvedev, who turned from 0-2 to win for the fourth time in his career, has faced Sinner nine times in his career and won six times. But the last three mutual matches belonged to the Italian tennis player.
Mixed doubles in Melbourne was won by Sie Shu-wei and Zieliňski
The mixed doubles was won by Sie Shu-wei from Taiwan and Jan Zieliňski from Poland. In the final, they beat the American-British couple Desirae Krawczyková and Neal Skupski 6:7, 6:4 and 11:9.
Thirty-eight-year-old Sie Shuwei won her seventh Grand Slam title, but her first in the mix. She can add another triumph in Melbourne in the classic doubles, in which she advanced to the final together with the Belgian Elise Mertens. The 27-year-old Zieliňski won the Grand Slam for the first time.
Kumstát will play for the junior title at the Australian Open
Czech tennis player Jan Kumstát will play for the junior title at the Australian Open. He defeated Mees Rottgering from the Netherlands 6:1 and 6:3 in the semifinals. His opponent in Saturday’s final will be fourth seed Rei Sakamoto from Japan.
The 17-year-old Kumstát made it to the final in his first appearance at the junior grand slam. He can become only the second Czech champion of the Australian Open in this category, in 2011 Jiří Veselý dominated the junior in Melbourne.
Czech tennis players did not win titles in junior doubles. Petr Brunclík and Briton Viktor Frydrych and Julie Paštiková and German Julia Stuseková fought unsuccessfully in the final.
Brunclík and Frydrych were not enough against Americans Maxwell Exsted and Cooper Woestendick, they lost 3:6, 5:7 and did not follow up on the semi-final triumph over another American pair Kaylan Bigun, Jagger Leach. Paštiková and Stuseková, who reached the finals after winning over the British couple Hannah Klugmanová and Minge Xuová, lost the duel for the title with the American couple Tyra Caterina Grantová and Iva Jovicová 3:6, 1:6.
Tennis Australian Open in Melbourne (hard surface, A$86.5 million endowment):
Men:
Singles – Semifinals:
Sinner (4-It.) – Djokovic (1-Serb.) 6:1, 6:2, 6:7 (6:8), 6:3, Medvedev (3-Rus.) – Zverev (6-Deu. ) 5:7, 3:6, 7:6 (7:4), 7:6 (7:5), 6:3.
Doubles – Semifinals:
Kičenová, Ostapenko (11-Ukr./Lot.) – Dabrowská, Routliffeová (4-Can./N. Zél.) 7:5, 7:5.
Mixed Doubles – Final:
Sie Šu-wej, Zieliňski (3-Tchaj-wan/Pol.) – Krawczyková, Skupski (2-USA/Brit.) 6:7 (5:7), 6:4, 11:9.
Juniors:
Singles – Semifinals:
Kumstat (CZ) – Rottgering (Netherlands) 6:1, 6:3.
Doubles – Semifinals:
Brunclík, Frydrych (CZ/Brit.) – Bigun, Leach (USA) 6:7 (5:7), 6:3, 10:5.
Finals:
Exsted, Woestendick (USA) – BrunclíkFrydrych (5-CZ/Brit.) 6:3, 7:5.
Junior girls:
Doubles – Semifinals:
PastryStuseková (Czech Republic/Germany) – Klugmanová, Xuová (2-Brit.) 6:3, 1:6, 10:8.
Finals:
Grantová, Jovicová (3-USA) – PastryStuseková (Czech Republic/Germany) 6:3, 6:1.
‘; } else { let zoneId = ‘78406’; zoneId = (zoneType === ‘autonaelektrinu’) ? ‘230106’ : zoneId; div.innerHTML = ”; }
