No.1 Novak Djokovic and fourth seed Jannik Sinner had contrasting victories on Tuesday, as defending women's champion Aryna Sabalenka set up a mouth-watering semifinal with
Novak Djokovic celebrates after winning the men's singles quarterfinal match between Novak Djokovic of Serbia and Taylor Fritz of the United States at Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, Jan. 23, 2024. (Photo by Chu Chen/Xinhua)
Djokovic was not at his brilliant best as he battled warm conditions in the high-voltage game against 12th seed Taylor Fritz.
But the 10-time tournament champion wore down Fritz 7-6 (3), 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 in a quarterfinal lasting three hours, 45 minutes.
"He was serving well, he was staying close to the line, he was kind of suffocating me from the back of the court," said Djokovic, who now has a 9-0 career record against Fritz. "It was extremely hot while the sun was still out there. Physically very draining, emotionally as well."
Djokovic squandered his first 15 break points, but he was dominant on serve with 20 aces. "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."
The 36-year-old Djokovic remained well on track for a record-extending 25th Grand Slam title, but the irrepressible Sinner looms as a worthy challenger in the semifinals having not dropped a set in the tournament.
Sinner continued his brilliant form with a 6-4, 7-6 (5), 6-3 victory over fifth seed Andrey Rublev as he strives for a maiden Grand Slam title.
There was much anticipation over the late night blockbuster which did not start until almost 11pm. Sinner made a fast start until he was visibly in discomfort midway through the second set due to an abdominal injury.
The momentum appeared to be turning towards Rublev when he gained a stranglehold with a 5-1 lead in the second set tiebreak. But Sinner lifted his level and rattled off the next six points to force Rublev into climbing a mountain.
The 22-year-old Sinner showed no ill effects from his earlier injury woes to reach his first semifinal at Melbourne Park as he finished with a forehand winner to wrap up the match at 1.20 a.m. local time.
"I'm just trying to stay aggressive. It went my way, so I'm really happy," Sinner said.
Women's second seed Sabalenka underlined her title favoritism after needing just 71 minutes to race past ninth seed and former French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova 6-2, 6-3.
The 25-year-old Sabalenka has been the form player in Melbourne having not dropped a set and lost only 16 games in five matches.
"I played really great tennis, I just hope I can keep playing this way," Sabalenka said. "I mean, it's all because of the atmosphere. I have the best support here."
Sabalenka will be confident of exacting revenge against Gauff in a rematch of last year's U.S. Open final. The 19-year-old American won her first Grand Slam title with a comeback three-set victory, but she will have to raise her game significantly to upset Sabalenka.
Gauff overcame an error-strewn performance to defeat unseeded Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk 7-6 (6), 6-7 (3), 6-2 in a quarterfinal that failed to live up to great heights.
"Hopefully got the bad match out of the way and I can play even better," Gauff said. "Really proud of the fight I showed today."
China's Zhang Zhizhen and Tomas Machac produced a men's doubles masterclass to overwhelm Ariel Behar and Adam Pavlasek 6-3, 6-1 in a one-sided quarterfinal that lasted just one hour.
"It was an incredible match. Today we played really good, especially with returning," Zhang said.
It came on the back of the Chinese-Czech's third round upset over former tournament champions and third seeds Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury.
Zhang and Machac will face in the semifinals either second seeds Matthew Ebden and Rohan Bopanna or 14th seeds Wesley Koolhof and Nikola Mektic.
Quarterfinal action will continue on Wednesday when China's top-ranked player Zheng Qinwen faces unseeded Anna Kalinskaya, while men's second seed Carlos Alcaraz has an intriguing match-up against sixth seed Alexander Zverev.
