Australian Open: Stefanos Tsitsipas fights in the final for the first time
Stefanos Tsitsipas has reached the final of the Australian Open for the first time. The Greek defeated Karen Khachanov 7-6 (2), 6-4, 6-7 (6) and 6-3 in Melbourne on Friday and will meet either Novak Djokovic or Tommy Paul in the final.
by tennisnet.com
last edit: Jan 27, 2023, 08:07 am
Here is the match to read in the live ticker.
In the fourth attempt, Stefanos Tsitsipas finally managed to win a semifinal at the Australian Open. In previous attempts, the Greek had failed twice against Daniil Medvedev and once against Rafael Nadal, but this time Karen Khachanov was a man against whom Tsitsipas had never lost in five attempts. It should stay that way: Tsitsipas was the more consistent player from the start, winning deservedly 7: 6 (2), 6: 4, 6: 7 (6) and 6: 3.
Tsitsipas took the lead early in the first set with a break, Khachanov countered and made a second rebreak at 3: 5. In the tie-break of the first set, however, the favorite didn't let anything burn. And that despite the fact that the Greek had received two warnings early on for exceeding the time on serve and two foot faults. However, as the match continued, Tsitsipas did not let that dissuade him from his first final in Melbourne.
Even if Khachanov started a small comeback at the very last opportunity: Tsitsipas served at 5: 4 in the third set to win the match, but the Russian equalized again. With the first break chance in the third set. After 2:41 hours of play, Tsitsipas had his first match point at 6: 4 in the tie-break, Khachanov bravely fended off. And was lucky at the next rally when a forehand just scratched the line. A few moments later, Khachanov was suddenly back in the match after his opponent made a forehand error.
However, the task in the final will be tough: If Novak Djokovic is expected to assert himself against Tommy Paul, Stefanos Tsitsipas will have to play against a 2:10 record against the Serbs. In his only Grand Slam final so far, Tsitsipas Djokovic had to admit defeat in Roland Garros 2021 after a two-set lead.
Here is the individual tableau in Melbourne
laver arena