Jannik Sinner stuns Novak Djokovic at Australian Open

Jannik Sinner stuns Novak Djokovic at Australian Open

Jannik Sinner will play in his first Grand Slam final after thwarting Novak Djokovic’s attempt for an unprecedented 11th Australian Open title in the semifinals on Friday at Rod Laver Arena.

The 22-year-old is the youngest player to reach a Melbourne Park final since 2008, when his opponent won his first major. He rallied after a third-set tie-break match point slipped through his fingers to win 6-1 6-2 6-7(6) 6-3.

Jannik Sinner stuns Novak Djokovic

Only six months earlier, world No1 Djokovic had no trouble containing the Italian in the Wimbledon semifinals, but a pair of confidence-boosting victories in three following meetings had rekindled Sinner’s optimism.

Facing the 24-time major winner in a best-of-five set match was a very different proposition.

“It was a very, very tough match. I started off really well,” Sinner told Jim Courier in his on-court interview. “For two sets, I felt like he was not feeling that great on court so I just tried to keep pushing. Then in the third set I had match point and I missed the forehand, but this is tennis.

“I just tried to be ready also for the next set, which I started off really well. And obviously the atmosphere was so great to play here.

“I was looking forward to this match,” said Sinner.

“It’s always nice to have this kind of player who you can learn from. I lost [to Djokovic] last year in the semis in Wimbledon, so I think I learned a lot from that. It’s all a part of the process.

“The confidence from the end of last year has for sure kept the belief that I can play against the best players in the world,” the Italian said. “I’m really happy that I can play Sunday my first final. Let’s see how it goes. But I’m really happy, I’ll come here with a smile and I’ll try my best.”

Sinner, in just his second Grand Slam semifinal, ignored tradition and defeated Djokovic in three hours and 23 minutes, handing him his first loss against a top-five opponent at Melbourne Park since losing in the fourth round to Roger Federer in 2007.

Sinner will face either third seed Daniil Medvedev or sixth seed Alexander Zverev for his first major title on Sunday.

The Italian shown remarkable mental fortitude and self-control to stave off a late surge by the World No 1, who gradually stabilised during the match after a fast start by Sinner.

Smart sinner comes through

Sinner was smart in tactics and execution, knocking Djokovic back with his weight of shot, but the Serbian fueled his opponent’s confidence with a lacklustre early performance that was the polar opposite of his customary level in high-stakes matches. Djokovic had been below his best for much of the Melbourne fortnight, but his propensity to improve in the final stages of majors has helped him win a record 24 Grand Slam singles championships. On this instance, the Serbian’s level dropped instead, resulting in a failed late surge.

Holding his nerve

Sinner pressed on in the fourth set after his tiebreak slip and quickly re-established control in Rod Laver Arena, quelling any fears of a repeat of the Wimbledon loss, when Djokovic fought back from two sets down to beat him.