MELBOURNE, Jan 23: Novak Djokovic held off Taylor Fritz 7-6 (3), 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 in 3 3/4 hours to reach the Australian Open semi-finals for the 11th time on Tuesday.
When he gets through the quarterfinals in Australia, Djokovic is unbeaten.
The 24-time major champion has won all 10 semifinals he’s contested at Melbourne Park and all 10 finals. In his record-extending 48th Grand Slam semi-final, he’ll play No. 4-seeded Jannik Sinner or No. 5 Andrey Rublev.
Fritz saved the first 15 break-points he faced, an unheard-of stat against one of the best returners ever.
The first game set the tone for a long, tough match. It lasted 16 minutes and contained 24 points, going to deuce nine times. Fritz fended off three breakpoints before finally holding.
The first set lasted 1 hour and 24 minutes – the longest opening set of the tournament – and was in the balance until the tiebreaker.
The match started in bright sunlight and almost 32-degree (90 Fahrenheit) heat and the shade moved from west to east across the court from behind the umpire’s chair.
After Fritz held in the 11th game, Djokovic was agitated and gesturing to get the attention of his support team, calling for salts.
But, after holding and taking the set to a tiebreaker, Djokovic finished a 21-shot rally with a stunning backhand crosscourt winner to get five set points. He put his finger to his ear, nodded his head and blew a kiss toward a commentary box at the rear of the court.
It was Fritz who got the first service break to open the second set, having fended off eight in the first set against him.
He saved another seven break-point chances in the second, mostly with clean winners, and maintained the break to level at one set apiece, closing with an ace.
After all that resistance, though, Fritz was broken in the second game of the third set when Djokovic converted his 16th chance. Djokovic broke again, at love, in the ninth game to wrap up the third set in 38 minutes.
In the fourth, Fritz struggled to hold in a game that contained 14 points and then was broken in the sixth. He hit back immediately, converting his second break point with a forehand that clipped the net and dropped for a winner.
But, Djokovic denied any more twists by breaking back again for 5-3 and serving out.
GAUFF TO PLAY TITLE HOLDER SABALENKA
Coco Gauff hopes she’s got her “bad” match out of the way at the Australian Open before meeting defending champion Aryna Sabalenka in the semi-finals.
The 19-year-old US Open winner overcame 51 unforced errors, nine double-faults and had just 17 winners to beat Marta Kostyuk 7-6 (6), 6-7 (3), 6-2 Tuesday in a quarterfinal match that lasted three hours, eight minutes. Sabalenka’s title defence has been gathering momentum and her 6-2, 6-3 win over No. 9-seeded Barbora Krejcikova was her fifth straight-sets victory in a row.
The extra-long day session pushed the start of the night session back to after 9 pm local time, with Krejcikova serving to start the first of the two-night quarterfinals at 9:09 pm.
Gauff has won 12 consecutive matches in Grand Slams and is two victories from winning back-to-back major titles, but she had a close call against first-time quarterfinalist Kostyuk.
The Ukrainian player said she was pleased to have made the quarterfinals at a Grand Slam tournament for the first time. (PTI)
