Australian Open: Novak Djokovic also merciless against Andrey Rublev
Novak Djokovic is just two wins away from his tenth Australian Open triumph. The Serb defeated Andrey Rublev 6-1, 6-2 and 6-4 in the last quarter-finals and will meet American Tommy Paul on Friday.
by tennisnet.com
last edit: Jan 25, 2023, 11:51 am
Here is the match to read in the live ticker.
Who else is going to stop this Novak Djokovic on his way to his tenth title at the Australian Open? After his show of power against Alex de Minaur, the Melbourne record champion also put in a fantastic performance against Andrey Rublev, winning 6-1, 6.2 and 6-4. Djokovic hardly ever got into trouble and confirmed his role as the top favorite for the Down Under title.
In slightly windy conditions, Djokovic showed from the start who was the boss on the court, Rublev was unable to pull off his power play in the fourth encounter with the grandmaster from Belgrade. In the middle of the second set, Djokovic got a little louder. No: very loud. He had just fended off a break ball from Rublev to make it 3: 3, which was celebrated briefly. Djokovic immediately took this momentum with him, broke to make it 5: 2 and, after defending against several breakballs, served out to make it 6: 2.
Djokovic now against Paul
The third act started again with Andrey Rublev losing serve. By this point at the latest, the Russian's tooth had been pulled out. Djokovic focused on winning his service games, which in the end was enough. Djokovic felt less disturbed by his opponent than by heckling from the fans.
In the semifinals on Friday, Novak Djokovic will play Tommy Paul, who won the American duel against Ben Shelton in four sets. There are no comparable values yet: Djokovic and Paul have never played against each other. In the upper half of the table, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Karen Khachanov qualified for the semi-finals. Andrey Rublev, meanwhile, has to wait for his first major semi-final.
Here is the individual tableau in Melbourne
laver arena