On Day 13 of Australian Open 2024, Jannik Sinner did what no man has ever done before: defeat Novak Djokovic in a Melbourne Park semifinal.
The Italian fourth seed sealed the seismic 6-1 6-2 6-7(6) 6-3 victory without even facing a break point. He was helped, in part, by 54 unforced errors off Djokovic’s racquet and an overall uncomfortable performance from the 10-time AO champion, who was shocked at his level of tennis.
“This is one of the worst Grand Slam matches I've ever played,” said the deflated world No.1, who saved a match point to avoid going out in straight sets.
“The whole tournament I haven't really played close to my best … most of the matches, I was not playing up to par … the way I play here in Australia normally.
“Congratulations to him, he just played a flawless match,” added Djokovic, who has lost three of his past four battles against the 22-year-old Sinner.
Sinner made history as the first Italian player, male or female, to reach an AO final, which also marks his maiden Grand Slam decider. While eager to clinch his first major, he's relaxed about when it happens.
“If it's not this year, it's next year, and then if it's not next year, it's the next year again, no?” he said.
In Sunday night’s men’s final, Sinner will face Daniil Medvedev, the third seed winning in five sets for the third time at AO 2024 after coming from two sets down to beat Alexander Zverev 5-7 3-6 7-6(4) 7-6 (5) 6-3.
It's Medvedev's third appearance in the men's decider in the past four years, and came after Zverev was two points from victory in the fourth set of a match that lasted four hours and 18 minutes, Zverev feeling his fading physical state "took the chance away" as the match progressed.
Elsewhere on Day 13, third seeds Su-Wei Hsieh and Jan Zielinski saved championship point en route to capturing the AO 2024 mixed doubles title. With the victory, Hsieh became the first player from Chinese Taipei to win an AO mixed doubles title, while Zielinski became the first Polish player in history to capture a major mixed doubles crown.
In women’s doubles, 11th seeds Lyudmyla Kichenok and Jelena Ostapenko upset fourth seeds Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe in straight sets to advance to Sunday’s final against second seeds Hsieh and Elise Mertens.
In Friday's wheelchair action, Andy Lapthorne and David Wagner clinched the quad doubles title with a win over Donald Ramphadi and Guy Sasson, while in men’s wheelchair doubles, top seeds Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid swept past Takuya Miki and Tokito Oda.
In women’s wheelchair doubles, second seeds Diede de Groot and Jiske Griffioen defeated top seeds Yui Kamiji and Kgothatso Montjane for the title.
The United States ruled the day in junior doubles, with Maxwell Exsted and Cooper Woestendick winning the boys' title, and Tyra Caterina Grant teaming with Iva Jovic to take out the girls' crown.