Australian Open: Novak Djokovic, Sinner, Coco, Sabalenka in semis

Melbourne: Novak Djokovic's unbeaten Slam streak against American opponents has hit double figures after withstanding an early onslaught from America's Taylor Fritz to reach his 11th Australian Open semifinal.

The 10-time champion recorded a 7-6(7-3), 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 victory over the 12th seed American in three hours and 45 minutes, denying Fritz his first major semifinal appearance.

It marked his 32nd consecutive win against a US contender at tour level and his 10th in a row at a major dating back to his Wimbledon 2016 defeat to Sam Querrey.

Djokovic won the opening set after saving two set points at 5-6, but he missed out on his first 15 break points in Rod Laver Arena and looked in real trouble when his opponent snatched the second set behind an early break.

But this is Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open. The 10-time Melbourne champ cashed in on his two break chances in set three and quickly regained control of a highly entertaining clash. Fritz fought to the end, but Djokovic's second wind proved enough to blow him over.

Djokovic will face Jannik Sinner in the semifinal who beat Andrey Rublev 6-4, 7-6(5), 6-3.

The fourth-seeded Italian Sinner delivered a high-quality quarter-final display to prevail in a two-hour, 39-minute battle between two of the biggest ballstrikers on the ATP Tour.

Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka showcased her relentless power and precision to secure a spot in the semifinals with a decisive 6-2, 6-3 victory over Barbora Krejcikova.

Sabalenka's performance was nothing short of clinical, as she unleashed 20 winners while committing just 13 unforced errors. The Belarusian powerhouse continued her dominant run in the tournament, reaching the last four by conceding a mere 16 games throughout her journey.

The ninth-seeded Krejcikova, a former Roland-Garros champion, found herself unable to disrupt the rhythm of the second-seeded Sabalenka, who exhibited an unyielding presence on the court.

Despite Krejcikova's attempts to vary the pace and mix up her game, Sabalenka's relentless power proved too much to handle. The Czech player won only 20 percent of points on her second serve, constantly under pressure from Sabalenka's authoritative returns and accurate groundstrokes.

Moreover, Coco Gauff survived a rollercoaster 7-6(8-6), 6-7(3-7), 6-2 battle against Marta Kostyuk to sail through to the semifinals of the Australian Open for the first time in her career.

By defeating her Ukrainian foe, Gauff, is now two wins away from becoming the first player since Naomi Osaka to win the US Open-Australian Open double.

Despite struggling on serve and with her forehand, Gauff saved two set points as she clawed her way back from a 1-5 deficit in the opening set. The 19-year-old American served for the match a 5-3 in the second but was foiled as her determined opponent slammed a pair of backhand winners en route to recapturing the break.

But she regrouped with a strong start in the third set and hardly looked back to eventually take victory in 3 hours and 8 minutes in warm conditions at Rod Laver Arena.

Kostyuk, the world No.37, produced 39 winners to Gauff’s 17, but was weighed down by 56 unforced errors.

The world No.4, who defended the ASB Classic title in Auckland earlier this month, is on a 10-0 unbeaten streak in 2024. Agencies

Also Read: Australian Open: Dominant Novak Djokovic sweeps into quarters

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