‘Flawless player’ Novak Djokovic (36, Serbia, world No. 5) advanced to the Australian Open singles final for the 10th time in his personal career.
Djokovic defeated Tommy Paul (25, USA, world ranking 35th) 3-0 (7-5 6-1 6-2) in the men’s singles semifinal of the 2023 Australian Open tennis tournament held at Melbourne Park Road Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia on the 27th. ) won.
With this, Djokovic reached his 10th final at the Australian Open alone. He won the Australian Open nine times, the most in men’s tennis history. In particular, he achieved the feat of reaching the semifinals 10 times and winning all of them.
Djokovic was strong enough in this tournament to be called ‘the man of the Australian Open’. He reached the final nine times (2008, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2020, 2021) and won all of them, leaving a remarkable record. Last year, he was unable to stand on the court due to the problem of not being vaccinated against the novel coronavirus infection (Corona 19), and he took one step closer to his 10th win.
He also set a record of 27 consecutive Australian Open wins. Djokovic lost 0-3 (6-7 <4-7> 5-7 6-7 <3-7>) to Hyeon Chung (27) in the round of 16 of this tournament in 2018. He then continued his 27-game winning streak at the Australian Open and was on the verge of winning his 10th title.
If Djokovic wins the Australian Open, it will be tied with the all-time record of 22 held by Rafael Nadal (37, Spain, world No. 2).
Djokovic won the first round of the Adelaide International, the opening match of this year’s ATP Tour. At the Australian Open, he also reached the final, proving that he is still the strongest.
Paul, who first stood on the stage of the semifinals of a Grand Slam tournament, met Djokovic on the way to the final. He became the first American player to reach the semifinals in 14 years since Andy Roddick in 2009. However, on the way to the finals, he could not surpass Djokovic, the strongest player in the Rod Laver Arena.
Leading 1-0 in the first set, Djokovic succeeded in breaking first. He also kept the serve game that followed, widening the score to 3-0. In the 4-1, it seemed to win the first set easily with the second break.
However, after an altercation with the referee, Djokovic faltered for a moment. Paul, who did not miss this gap, took 4 games and tied the score 5-5.
Djokovic, who was on the verge of allowing a turnaround, calmly won the 11th game and ran away with a score of 6-5. Djokovic, who rarely breaks down at the end of the set, broke his 12th game and won the first set 7-5.
Djokovic’s momentum continued into the second set. In the baseline rally, Paul made a lot of mistakes. On the other hand, Djokovic, who was shaken by many mistakes at the end of the first set, induced the opponent to make mistakes with elaborate shots. Djokovic, who scored consecutively with tight returns, backhand and forehand, took the second set 6-1.
After breaking the first game of the third set, Djokovic took two games and took a 3-0 lead. Paul couldn’t find a solution in the rally fight and seldom scored. Djokovic, who seized the victory with a 4-0 score difference, continued his undefeated streak in the semifinals. 안전놀이터
In the men’s singles semifinal held earlier, Stefanos Tsitsipas (25, Greece, world No. 4) defeated Karen Khachanov (27, Russia, world No. 20) 3-1 (7-6<7-2> 6-4). 6-7<6-8> 6-3).
Tsitsipas reached the semifinals three times at the Australian Open before this tournament. However, in 2019, he lost to Rafael Nadal (37, Spain, world No. 2) and was frustrated with reaching the final. They reached the semifinals in 2021 and last year, but all of them knelt down to Danil Medvedev (27, Russia, 7th in the world rankings).
At this year’s competition, Tsitsipas succeeded in advancing to the final after four challenges. Chichipas, who achieved ‘3 out of 4’, won a ticket to the finals of the Grand Slam event for the second time after finishing runner-up at the 2021 French Open.
Khachanov reached the semifinals at last year’s US Open, his best performance in a major tournament. He also achieved the achievement of advancing to the semifinals at the Australian Open this year, but his dream of advancing to the final was not fulfilled.
In particular, Khachanov could not cross the wall of the ‘natural enemy’ Chichipas this time. He never won against Chichipas. In this match as well, he failed to avenge himself and suffered 6 consecutive losses against the opponent.
The opponent record between Djokovic and Tsitsipas is 10 wins and 2 losses, with Djokovic having the upper hand. The latest match they faced was the group stage of the ATP Tour Finals held in November last year. In this match, Djokovic defeated Tsitsipas 2-0 (6-4 7-6<7-4>).
In the 2021 French Open final, they fought for the championship. At that time, Djokovic won a thrilling come-from-behind victory 3-2 (6-7<6-8> 2-6 6-3 6-2 6-4).
Djokovic is on his way to winning his 10th Australian Open title and 22nd Grand Slam title. Chichipas seeks revenge for his first Grand Slam victory and the French Open. The winner of this event will be ranked number 1 in the world rankings.
The men’s singles final between Djokovic and Tsitsipas will be held on the 29th.
