The first Grand Slam of 2023 is entering the final stages as the semi-finals get underway in Melbourne.
Today we will find out who will play in the Ladies Final on Saturday as Wimbledon Champion Elena Rybakina takes on two-time champion Victoria Azarenka in the first match. This will be followed by Magda Linette against Aryna Sabalenka for a place in the showcase finale.
In the men’s draw, Novak Djokovic is seeking to capture a record extending 10th title Down Under. The Wimbledon Champion ruthlessly dispatched Russia’s Andrey Rublev in straights in their quarter final tie. Beating Rublev also equalled Andre Agassi’s record of 26 consecutive victories at the Australian Open.
Djokovic was the only major champion left in the men’s draw at the Quarter Finals stage and is a strong favourite to win the event. If he can claim victory he will be level with Rafael Nadal in the all-time Grand Slam record books with 22 major titles.
There had been concerns over the Serb’s fitness due to a hamstring issue which has needed strapping throughout the tournament. However, he seems to be dealing with the problem with relative ease and will play American Tommy Paul in the last four.
Paul is playing in his first major semi-final after surprising Ben Shelton in four sets in the previous round. He is also the first American to reach an Australian Open semi final since 2009.
The other semi-final will be contested between Stefanos Tsitsipas & Karen Khachanov. Tsitsipas will be playing in his fourth Aussie Open semi-final in five years. The third seed will be hoping to finally capture his first major title and could end the tournament as the new World No 1.
Khachanov was handed his semi-final sport after his quarter final opponent Sebastian Korda was forced to retire with a wrist injury. After the winning the opening set, American Korda began to struggle with his discomfort. He would have been feeling confident ahead of the match after beating Daniil Medvedev and Hubert Hurkacz in his route to the last eight.
“Rod Laver Arena” by Shane Perera is licensed under CC BY 2.0.