Jan 26, 2024 at 8:10 AM Update: 3 hours ago
Daniil Medvedev impressively reached the final of the Australian Open on Friday. The Russian was two sets behind, but still won against Alexander Zverev. Jannik Sinner previously reached the final at the expense of Novak Djokovic.
Zverev seemed to be on his way to his first Australian Open final until halfway through the third set. The 26-year-old German defeated title candidate Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter-finals and was also on track in his semi-final.
Medvedev served poorly in the first set – he recorded five double faults – and could not prevent Zverev from posting an early break. The number six in the world did not relinquish this lead in the first set.
Medvedev (ATP-3) served better in the second set, but was still a size too small for Zverev. In the third set, Medvedev finally got going and forced Zverev into a tiebreak. The 27-year-old Russian emerged victorious and continued the trend in the remainder of the match.
Zverev was able to force a tiebreak in the fourth set and was two points away from victory. The German surrendered his serve twice in a row and gave away the set to Medvedev. The Russian finished the job in the fifth set and used his first match point after almost 4.5 hours of play.
Medvedev is in the final of the Australian Open for the third time in his career. He has never won the final battle: in 2021 Djokovic was too strong, in 2022 Rafael Nadal won the title. Medvedev will go for his second Grand Slam title on Sunday. In 2021 he won the US Open.
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Summary: Sinner eliminates Djokovic in Australian Open semi-finals
Djokovic can forget his eleventh title in Melbourne
Djokovic lost without a chance to Sinner earlier in the day. The ten-time champion lost in four sets in his semi-final: 6-1, 6-2, 6-7 (6), 6-3.
Djokovic made an unrecognizable impression in the match against Sinner. He did not appear at all, especially in the first and second sets. The Serbian number one in the world did not even have a break chance against Sinner in the regular games.
In the third set, the 22-year-old Sinner had his first chance to decide the match. Djokovic survived that match point. Yet he continued to struggle with himself and the strong playing Sinner. At the second match point, after 3 hours and 26 minutes, it was still a hit.
For Djokovic it is his first defeat at the Australian Open since 2018. He was undefeated in Melbourne for 33 matches in a row and won the title in 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2023. Djokovic was absent in 2022 because he did not want to be vaccinated. Then Rafael Nadal won the tournament.
Sinner will compete for his first Grand Slam title in the final on Sunday.
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