Novak Djokovic is only two wins from his 22nd Grand Slam title at the Australian Open. Iga Swiatek has long been eliminated – but the Polish fans can once again celebrate a semi-finalist in a Grand Slam tournament. For men, Tommy Paul wins the American duel against Ben Shelton.
Novak Djokovic suddenly felt like joking and even sang a belated birthday song to his mom. “I couldn’t be happier with my tennis,” said the big title favorite after reaching the semi-finals in Melbourne: “I love playing for myself on such a special place.”
Earlier, Djokovic had shown a very different side at Rod Laver Arena. He complained about a fan, shouted angrily in the direction of his box – and after he had built up the necessary aggressiveness, then mercilessly showed the Russian Andrey Rublev the limits at 6: 1, 6: 2, 6: 4. Djokovic, who is being accompanied by his parents in Australia for the first time in 15 years, is only two steps away from his 22nd Grand Slam title and is probably untouchable in this form.
“You could say I feel a little extra motivation this year,” said Djokovic, alluding to his expulsion last year and his much-discussed hamstring injury. “In the first one and a half sentences, Novak was emotionally attacked today,” Djokovic’s ex-coach Boris Becker also added Eurosport states: “But Rublev didn’t have the class.”
As a result, the 35-year-old Serb confidently reached the round of the last four Down Under for the tenth time. Whenever Djokovic climbed that level there, he also secured the title. His 26th consecutive win also equaled Andre Agassi’s record for the longest winning streak at the Yarra River tournament. Rublev, on the other hand, also lost his seventh majors quarterfinal.
Djokovic, who can draw level with Grand Slam record winner Rafael Nadal from Spain in Australia and has his much-discussed thigh problems under control, will now meet Tommy Paul in a duel for the final on Friday, who was the first US player in 14 years to reach the semi-finals in Melbourne reached. The 25-year-old from New Jersey won against compatriot Ben Shelton 7: 6 (8: 6), 6: 3, 5: 7, 6: 4. The second semi-final is contested by Stefanos Tsitsipas from Greece and Karen Khachanov from Russia.
As a clear outsider, Paul will now throw himself into the almost impossible task against Djokovic. “I play my best tennis, so it’s a good time for it,” he said confidently on Wednesday. Overall, the upswing in US tennis is causing a stir. “Finally. They invest a lot of money from their association,” said Boris Becker Eurosport. An athlete in the “absolute world class” is still missing.
Australian Open: Magda Linette continues to cause a sensation
Magda Linette continues to cause a stir at the Australian Open, already achieving her best result in a major with a 6-3, 7-5 win over Karolina Pliskova. The 30-year-old unnerved her opponent, who also made too many simple mistakes.
“It’s so emotional, I can hardly believe it, I’m super grateful and happy,” said Linette after her success: “I won’t forget that for the rest of my life.” She now meets Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka, who did not lose a set in her ninth match this year. The 24-year-old won 6: 3, 6: 2 against Croatian Donna Vekic and is still aiming for her first major title. “It feels special here,” said Sabalenka.
For Pliskova it remains with two finals at Grand Slam level. In 2016 she was in the final in New York, five years later in Wimbledon. The strong Linette, on the other hand, continues to dream of the big surprise coup in Melbourne. She is the third Polish semi-finalist at the Australian Open since professional tennis was introduced in 1968.
Australian Open: Mies misses doubles semifinals
Andreas Mies missed the semifinals in doubles in Melbourne. The specialist lost alongside Australian John Peers in the quarter-finals to Spanish-Argentinian team Marcel Granollers/Horacio Zeballos 4:6, 7:6 (7:2), 2:6.
For Mies it was the first Grand Slam event after separating from his long-term partner Kevin Krawietz, with whom he reached the round of 16 at the Australian Open last year. At the end of the 2022 season, the two-time French Open winners announced the end of their collaboration. Krawietz will play with Frankfurter Tim Pütz in the future.
“I’m more than happy with how things have started now,” Mies said after reaching the quarterfinals at the Australian Open: “We want more.”
Australian Open, day 9: The quarter-finals matches at a glance
| player 1 | player 2 | result/time |
| Karolina Pliskova (JUN/30) | Magda Linette (POL) | 3:6, 5:7 |
| Aryna Sabalenka (BLR/5) | Donna Vekic (CRO) | 6:3, 6:2 |
| player 1 | player 2 | result/time |
| Ben Shelton (USA) | Tommy Paul (USA) | 6:7, 3:6, 7:5, 4:6 |
| Novak Djokovic (SRB/4) | Andrey Rublev (RUS/5) | 6:1, 6:2, 6:4 |
