Italian ace ends Serbian's streak at Melbourne Park, to meet Medvedev in final
MELBOURNE: Jannik Sinner's celebrations were as muted as the colours of his tee. The 22-year-old clenched his fists and looked briefly at his box after knocking out world No. 1 Novak Djokovic from the Australian Open. The result may have rocked the Richter scale, but it had come in the semifinals. Therefore, the restrain. The Italian, seeded four, came through 6-1, 6-2, 6-7 (6), 6-3 in three hours and 22 minutes to make his first Grand Slam final.
The loss brought to an end a series of Djokovic's win streaks here, while Sinner extended a scorching run of his own. He has now won 19 of his past 20 matches, dating back to October. "Sunday is the final," Sinner reminded the media. "That is a different emotion, because the final is always different. Doesn't really matter how big the tournament is, in my mind I knew today was the semifinal. It's not that you win the tournament in the semifinals."
In the title round, Sinner will play third seed Daniil Medvedev, who rallied to put out Alexander Zverev 5-7, 3-6, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (5), 6-3.
Sinner was all over the court from the word go, but Djokovic was all at sea. The 36-year-old only managed to get on the scoreboard after 21 minutes of play.
Sinner, who won two of his three clashes against Djokovic in November, played with the confidence he had gained from those wins.
"It gives you a better feeling when you know that you can beat one player," said Sinner. "For me it was a huge privilege to play Novak, three times in 10 days. You can practice with him, but the match is always different. I tried to play as relaxed as possible, having the right game plan in my mind."
Sinner's coach Aussie Darren Cahill pegged the healthier head-to-head between the two players to Sinner's loss to Djokovic at Wimbledon two years ago, when the Italian led two-sets-to-love in the quarterfinals.
Cahill said: "We were able to sit down and talk about where the improvements needed to be made, and credit to him, he absorbed it. He gets on the practice court and he loves to work on things that are going to make him a better tennis player."
1/10:Australian Open: Sinner ends Djokovic's reign
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2/10:Novak Djokovic
<p>Jannik Sinner terminated Novak Djokovic's bid for tennis immortality at the Australian Open on Friday, ending the Serb's record 33-match winning run at Melbourne Park and his bid for a 25th Grand Slam title. </p>AFP
3/10:Jannik Sinner
<p>The Italian fourth seed was unfazed by dropping his first set of the tournament against the king of Rod Laver Arena, winning 6-1, 6-2, 6-7 (6/8), 6-3 to reach a first Grand Slam final. </p>Getty Images
4/10:Ten-time champion Djokovic
<p>Ten-time champion Djokovic, who had not tasted defeat at the Australian Open since 2018, was gunning for a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title but Sinner ripped up the script in spectacular fashion. </p>AFP
5/10:29 unforced errors
<p>Djokovic had no answer to his 22-year-old opponent early in the match but did not help his own cause, hitting 29 unforced errors during the first two sets in an uncharacteristically sloppy showing, compared with just eight for Sinner. </p>Getty Images
6/10:Metronomic consistency
<p>36-year-old Djokovic lacked his usual metronomic consistency as the super-cool Sinner, unconcerned at facing a man who had never lost a semi-final at Melbourne Park, raced into a 3-0 lead. </p>Getty Images
7/10:The sixth game
<p>The Italian broke again in the sixth game and seized the set when Djokovic went long with a forehand. </p>Getty Images
8/10:The decibel count
<p>The decibel count on centre court rose at the start of the second set and Djokovic settled himself with a convincing hold. </p>Getty Images
9/10:The third game
<p>But his error count continued to mount and Sinner broke in the third game to establish a vice-like grip on the match. </p>AFP
10/10:'Nole'
<p>Djokovic urged the crowd to come to his aid and cries of "Nole" rang around the packed stadium but he was broken again and slipped two sets down. </p>AFPIf there was a spare seat in the Rod Laver Arena on Friday it wasn't visible to the naked eye. The stands heaved and huffed with the sway of play. It appeared like the fans were 60-40 for Djokovic, either that or the noisier sections supported the world No. 1. 'Nole, Nole, Nole,' they cried, they sang. A chant, a carol.
Sinner did well not to let the fans get into his head. The Italian, who had a match point in the third set tie-break, was able to shrug it off and stick with the task at hand in the fourth set. "The level we are seeing from my side is because of a whole year of work, and the process to become the best version. But I know that I can still improve many things, so my way is not finished yet," Sinner said.
