Australian Open ATP Semi-Finals Round-up

Djokovic upsets the reigning champion

From the early stages, it looked like Djokovic was in deep trouble.
Sinner was not missing with his first serve in the early stages, and he was letting
rip with it. Two very commanding holds were sandwiched with a crucial break, with
Djokovic not yet arriving in this tennis match.

He did eventually pick up his game, but the damage had been
done in the early stage. Sinner would continue to pressurise him on serve while
against it he had just one break point to get back level but could not convert.
Sinner’s serving numbers were absurd. He successfully got 22 first serves from
26 points, winning 86% of them with six aces thrown in the mix.

The second set was also dominated by both players serve, but
this time it was showcased by the Serbian who won 86% of first serve points.
There was a key part of the set in the fourth and fifth game which turned it
firmly in the favour of Djokovic.

After failing to take a brace of break points, Djokovic was
not going to rue those missed chances. He sailed into a 3-1 lead before it
looked like all that hard work had been for nothing when the Italian raced into
0-40 lead. Djokovic turned up the heat when he needed it most, winning five
consecutive points to go 4-1 ahead. After surviving another scare later in the
set, he was back on level terms with a commanding hold. It was his first set
won in this event since round three, and the first set against Sinner in 11
attempts, showing the strangle hold Sinner had over him.

He continued to put his rival under pressure, regularly creating
openings where he could capitalise off. However, he did not. The set plateaued as
it got to the business end, with both looking to get that pivotal advantage. It
was the 24-year-old who completed this, with him winning eight of the last nine
points in the set to take the third set and move within one of a sixth consecutive
Grand Slam final.

Djokovic was not letting it finish there. We had already
experienced a glorious five-set match before this one, and the Serbin fans in the
Rod Laver Arena were desperate for another. When it looked like Sinner had taken
control, a break right at the start of the set kept Djokovic firmly interested.
Both players expertly held throughout the rest of the set, with Sinner
squandering two break points late on. Djokovic survived and took his third set
point.

In his opening two games on serve, Djokovic fended off five break
points. In contrast, Sinner won 12 of his 13 points on serve. Somehow, Djokovic
is still on level terms at 3-3, still playing some mind-blowing tennis. The
tables would turn as the Serbian found the breakthrough, finally cracking the
Sinner serve.

As the match hit the fourth hour mark and went into an incredible
fifth, Sinner held to love to keep in the hunt, but his major title ambitions
were falling away. Djokovic created two match points, and miraculously saved
them both, including what looked like a huge forehand winner from Djokovic. Not
to worry, as he claims his third match point to reach a first major final since
the US Open 2023. It is one of his finest performances against Sinner who
played at a very high level for over four hours, but he managed to get the job
done as he bursted out with emotion at the end.

Alcaraz pips Zverev at the end

Before this match, Alcaraz had already booked his spot in
the final, but it was not easy, He was engulfed in a classic against Zverev,
who looked to have had the advantage late on, but a determined Alcaraz managed
to comeback and win 6-4, 7-6(5), 6-7(3), 6-7(4), 7-5.

The first set would take 40 minutes to complete. Not only
that was the shortest set of the match by some distance, but it was the only
one under an hour. Alcaraz waited late to take it, breaking right at the end to
take a slim advantage over his German foe.

There would ne no breaks of serve in the next two sets as
both players started to settle on their serve. This included three consecutive holds
to love in the premature stages. As the score went to 5-4 in Alcaraz’s favour, cramp
started to settle in, and it would prove to be costly. While Zverev was arguing
with the officials over a medical timeout, he would have the last laugh when he
took a stricken Alcaraz to a tiebreak, comfortably seeing him off.

He was looking to get a firm foothold in this match and missed
two break points halfway through the fourth set. These were the first break
chances of any kind since right at the start of the third set. With the
Spaniard getting over the cramp, he had the chance to get the job done in the
tiebreak. Nevertheless, this match’s destiny was for it to go the distance.
After leading 4-3, Zverev racked off the remaining points to continue this
thriller in front of an exhilarated Rod Laver Arena.

He prolonged this fine purple patch with a hugely important
break of serve right at the forefront of the set. If Alcaraz wanted to get to
the final of the fourth and final Grand Slam on his list, he would need to pull
a rabbit out of the hat.