Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner Poised For Popcorn Semifinal At Australian Open

If anyone can feel a degree of confidence going into a Grand Slam semifinal with world No. 1 Novak Djokovic, it is Jannik Sinner.

The world No. 4 beat Djokovic twice in a 12-day span last November, once in Group Play at the ATP Finals in Turin, Italy and again while leading Italy to the Davis Cup title in Malaga, Spain. Djokovic is 4-2 against Sinner, but the Italian has won the last two.

Now they will meet again in the Australian Open semifinals with a berth in the championship on the line.

“It’s a matchup a lot of people pointed to early on, [and] wanted to see,” ESPN’s James Blake said on air.

“Those are the two players that have played the best in the last six months, but we’ll see who comes out on top on Friday.”

Sinner appeared to be bothered by a some discomfort in his right abdomen area during the match but moved into his first Australian Open semifinal and second major semi by out-hitting No. 5 Andrey Rublev, 6-4, 7-6(5), 6-3 to improve to 5-2 against the Russian. Rublev fell to 0-10 in major quarterfinals.

Of facing Djokovic, Sinner told Jim Courier on court, “Yeah, I’m really lucky to face him again. This is one of the biggest tournaments in the world, happy that I can play against the No. 1 in the world. He won here sometimes, so it’s gonna be tough.

“The only thing that I can control is that I will give my 100%, I will fight for every ball and then we see what the outcome will be.”

Rublev held a 5-1 lead in the tiebreak, but Sinner roared back to steal it and take a two-sets-to-love lead.

He closed the match out on the third in his serve with a forehand winner.

“For sure I appreciate it when it’s over,” Sinner told Jim Courier on court. “But it’s obviously really tough to play against him. We had some really tough matches already in the past. Today was three sets, but I could’ve lost both first sets.

“I had so many break points and I somehow served really well on that one, but everything goes so fast. It’s really more reaction and trying to move him a little more than I do. And I want to thank everyone for staying so long.”

Sinner’s health will be key against Djokovic, who has also battled an illness and a wrist injury during the fortnight.

“I think Jannik Sinner has a really chance, the only thing I’m worried about that little bit is the ab[domen],” Blake said on ESPN. “If it’s OK, I love his chances but it’s pretty tough to beat Novak down here.”

Djokovic took care of business in his quarterfinal, dispatching No. 12 Taylor Fritz, 7-6, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 in 3 hours, 45 minutes, to improve to 9-0 against the top-ranked American.

Djokovic is into his 11th Australian Open semifinal and is 10-0 all time. He is seeking a record-extending 25th Grand Slam title.

“I suffered a lot in the first couple of sets, also due to his high-quality tennis,” Djokovic told Nick Kyrgios in his on-court interview. “He was serving well, he was staying close to the line, he was kind of suffocating me from the back of the court. I was [playing] most of the rallies on my back foot. It was really difficult to find the right timing. It was extremely hot while the sun was still out there. Physically very draining, emotionally as well.”

Djokovic looked fatigued in the second set, but the roles reversed when he came out refreshed for the third. As the court cooled in the early evening, the Serb began to heat up.

This match was far tighter than their U.S. Open quarterfinal last season, but Djokovic ultimately made Fritz pay for a mediocre serving days. Djokovic out-aced his opponent 20 to 16 and capitalized on Fritz’s 58 per cent first-serve percentage. After starting 0-of-15 start on break points, Djokovic was 4-of-6 in the final two sets.

“At the end of the day, I managed to break him when it mattered, in the third and the fourth,” he said. “I think I upped my game probably midway through the third set, all the way to the end.”