On Tuesday, Jannik Sinner beat an opponent who is now 0-10 lifetime in Grand Slam quarterfinals.
On Friday, Sinner will face an opponent who is 11-0 in Australian Open quarterfinals, 10-0 in Australian Open semifinals, and 10-0 in Australian Open finals.
Andrey Rublev’s futility in the last eight at majors continued when he lost to Sinner 6-4, 7-6(5), 6-3 in Tuesday’s nightcap at Melbourne Park. Rublev, who lost in the quarters of all four slams in 2023, was not without chances to reverse his fortunes despite the straight-set scoreline. The fifth-ranked Russian had multiple break points in all three sets–eight in total–but converted none of them and eventually fell to a heavily favored opponent in two hours and 39 minutes.
Rublev’s best opportunity to get a real foothold in the match came in the second-set tiebreaker, when a deadlock at one set all seemed to be inevitable with the underdog ahead 5-1. However, Sinner promptly reeled off six points in a row to steal the set and take a seemingly insurmountable advantage. And insurmountable it was. Sinner broke serve at 3-2 in the third and from there it was all over.
“It was really tight, but I love to play these kinds of moments,” the 22-year-old Italian explained. “It is what I practice for and it is really exciting when we have these pressure points on. I try to stay aggressive. It went my way today, so I’m really happy.”
If it goes Sinner’s way on Friday, he will find himself in a Grand Slam final for the first time in his career. It will mark his second slam semi, having previously lost to Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon this past summer.
Sure enough, it is none other than Djokovic who stands in Sinner’s way once again after the 36-year-old Serb defeated Taylor Fritz 7-6(3), 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 in Tuesday’s first quarterfinal.
“Obviously (he) has an incredible record here,” Sinner said of Djokovic. “So for me it’s a pleasure to play against him, especially in the final stages of the tournament where things are a little bit more interesting. I’m looking forward to it, to be honest. It’s gonna be tough. This, I know. I will control the controllable, which is giving 100 percent, having the right attitude, fighting for every ball. More than this, I cannot do. Doesn’t really matter who my opponent is.”
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