Novak Djokovic has two wins left From the historic 25th Grand Slam After a “lucky” 4-6, 3-6, 3-1 (return) victory over Lorenzo Musetti on Tuesday night. at the Australian Open. Djokovic, who was down two sets and broke in the third, looked stunned after Musetti was forced to retire with a foot injury.
Djokovic will face second seed Jannik Sinner on one side of the semi-final, while top seed Carlos Alcaraz will face Alexander Zverev on the other men’s side.
“I don’t know what else to say other than I’m really disappointed. He was a much better player. I was going home tonight,” Djokovic, a 10-time Australian Open champion, said after the match. “I don’t know what to say. This happens a lot in sports, and it’s happened to me a few times, but it’s such a shame when you’re in the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam and you’re in two sets and you’re in total control.”
“I don’t know what else to say. I really wish him a speedy recovery. He was definitely going to be the winner today.”
Musetti had lost six straight to Djokovic, but dominated the first two sets, benefiting from 31 unforced errors and breaking his opponent’s first serve.
“In the first two games I had about four winners and no unforced errors, but in the remaining games I had four more winners and probably 40 errors,” Djokovic said. “That’s what Lorenzo does for you. He makes you play and just when you think the point is over, it’s not. Obviously it was a little more windy today, swirly conditions and you never know what’s going to happen when you attack him. That’s what crosscourt Whether it’s going to be a passing shot, whether it’s going to be a short slice, whether it’s going to be him going full flat in your body, or whether it’s going to be my weakest shot, which is a loop ball to my overhead, I think we did that.” I saw it again today. ”
Sinner confronts Ben Shelton
Shelton, the last American on the men’s team, lost 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 to Sinner’s big serve and razor-sharp consistency. After losing just one set so far in the tournament, eighth-seeded Shelton couldn’t find an answer to Sinner’s cross-court expertise and relentless power.
Sinner attacked Shelton’s backhand throughout the match, improving to 9-1 against the hard-hitting American. In the final set, he managed 18 winners but only four unforced errors. Sinner has won the Australian Open twice.
“It’s very difficult to play against Ben,” Sinner said. “He has such a huge serve and I feel like he’s improved so much over the years. Especially after the offseason, you never know how certain players are going to play against each other and change a lot of things. I was very happy with today’s performance.”
At the beginning of the tournament, Sinners took advantage of heat-related timeDefeated American Elliot Spitzilli in the third round. Spizzilli, who split the first two sets and was broken 3-1 inside Rod Laver Arena, appeared in disbelief as Sinner stumbled with cramps after tournament officials suspended play due to excessive heat.
Jessica Pegula plays Amanda Anisimova
Pegula, the sixth seed, has not dropped a set at the Australian Open. She dominated in the second set tie-break and held off No. 4 Anisimova, winning 6-2, 7-6 in straight sets. Pegula, a 2024 US Open finalist, has reached the Australian Open semifinals for the first time in her career and will face Elena Rybakina later this week.
Pegula defeated America’s Madison Keys, the defending champion, in the fourth round to face Anisimova. Pegula dominated the first set, but heated up in the final stages and was unable to perform at her best, finishing off her opponent who was hurt by a series of unforced errors.
“I felt like I could win the rally and I was able to put pressure on her serve,” Pegula said. “I told myself to get back into gear quickly. If I didn’t want to go to the third set, I had to win the tiebreaker, and I really didn’t want to do that.”
In the other women’s semi-final, top seed Aryna Sabalenka will face Elena Svitolina. Sabalenka has not dropped a set in this tournament and barely broke a sweat in her 6-3, 6-0 victory over American Iva Jovic in the quarterfinals.
