- Stefanos Tsitsipas (ATP 4) is in the final of the Australian Open for the first time in his career.
- The Greek beats the Russian Karen Khachanov (ATP 20) 7: 6 (7: 2), 6: 4, 6: 7 (6: 8), 6: 3.
- In the final, Tsitsipas meets Novak Djokovic, who defeated Tommy Paul in three sets.
In the fourth attempt it finally worked for Stefanos Tsitsipas. The Greek, who has lost three semifinals in Melbourne in the last four years, is fighting for his first Grand Slam title “Down Under” on Sunday. In a hard-fought game against Karen Chatschanow, the Greek showed staying power and used his 4th match point to win after 3:21 hours.
Tsitsipas could have ended the game around 40 minutes earlier. The world number 4 dominated the increasingly helpless Khachanov in the 3rd set almost at will and served at 5: 4 to win the match. With victory in sight, however, the Greek began to tremble. Tsitsipas conceded the rebreak, left two match balls unused in the tie-break and then gave up the sentence.
After a toilet break, Tsitsipas regained his old strength in the 4th round. The 24-year-old went 3-0 ahead and didn’t give up that lead this time. Stand-up man Chatschanov left the field as a loser in the sixth duel with the Greek.
Tsitsipas keeps calm
In the afternoon heat in the Rod Laver Arena, Tsitsipas had indicated early on that he wanted to compete again on Sunday at the same place. The Greek returned strongly and took Chatchanov’s serve twice in the first set. Because his own service left a lot to be desired in the first round, he immediately conceded the rebreak.
When the score was 5:5, the Greek made a double fault because he had taken too much time on the first serve and was warned by the referee. Tsitsipas did not allow himself to be tempted into discussions and won four points in a row after being 0:30 behind. In the tie-break he pulled away early and won the short decision 7:2.
Tsitsipas took the momentum with him into the second round, but initially without any results. The decision was made when the score was 4:4 and Chatschanov served. The Russian started the smash three times on the net, three times Tsitsipas brought the ball back meters behind the baseline. The Greek earned a breakball, got the break a little later and finally the 2nd set.
