The combatants in Friday's men's semifinals bring together a mixture of the familiar and new at Australian Open 2023.
First, perennial semifinalist Stefanos Tsitsipas meets Olympic silver medallist Karen Khachanov before behemoth Novak Djokovic tangles with maiden Grand Slam semifinalist Tommy Paul.
[4] Novak Djokovic vs Tommy Paul
First meeting
How difficult is it to stop Djokovic in the latter stages of the Australian Open? Let's let the numbers speak for themselves.
He's played nine previous semifinals and won them all, then won all those finals.
Paul's savvy coach, Brad Stine, knows the data. He resorted to humour when asked how his charge could become the first man to end the streak.
"I think the easiest way to beat him is to like poison him or something," Stine joked to ausopen.com.
"Not an easy thing to try to figure out," he added, being serious. "We have to sit down and talk about a game plan and a few different things and stuff. But it's going to be a tough ask for sure. We'll see what happens. And that's why they play the matches, right?"
True.
Rafael Nadal entered the 2021 French Open having never lost any of his 13 semifinals, before being defeated in the last four.
Oh, but it took his fellow "Big Three" member of Djokovic to oust him.
Visibly hampered in his movement in earlier rounds at AO 23 due to the left hamstring injury he sustained in Adelaide, Djokovic looked considerably better in thumping wins over Alex de Minaur in the fourth round and Andrey Rublev in Wednesday's quarterfinal.
Quizzed about what impressed him most of Djokovic's performance, Rublev said zero – because he already knew how good the 35-year-old was.
"There was nothing that impressed me because he's one of the best," said Rublev. "I knew he's going to be really tough. That's it. It's very simple."
Djokovic doesn't shy away from disclosing how keen he is to keep on amassing Grand Slam titles. But his motivation escalated further after he missed last year's Australian Open, and some questioned the legitimacy of his hamstring problem.
A victory over Paul would lift his winning streak to 27 at Melbourne Park.
"So far I have a perfect score in Australian hard courts, in Adelaide and here," said the 21-time Grand Slam winner. "I've been playing better and better. I couldn't ask for a better situation to be in at the moment."
The last player to defeat him at the Australian Open was Hyeon Chung in the fourth round in 2018. An elbow injury to Djokovic contributed to the result – he underwent surgery not long after.
Paul isn't as much of a surprise package as Chung, whose own injury issues derailed a very promising career.
Ranked 35, he narrowly missed a seeding.
The American didn't have to contend with any high seeds on the way to the semis, but that didn't make his path simple.
MORE: AO 2023 men's singles draw
He overcame the big-serving Jan Lennard Struff in the faster conditions of the outer courts, former French Open quarterfinalist Alejandro Davidovich Fokina – in five sets – the slightly unorthodox game of Jenson Brooksby and then gritty Roberto Bautista Agut.
In the quarterfinals, Paul ended the journey of hot hand Ben Shelton, the tournament leader in aces.
Paul, conversely, leads the men's event in total first and second serve points won. He blends attack with counterpunching.
While Paul's mum flew in from the US after his win over Bautista Agut, the former French Open junior champion has been flying under the radar.
Men's storylines from a US perspective focused more, understandably, on Shelton and Sebastian Korda, who upset Daniil Medvedev and held a match point on Djokovic in the Adelaide final.
But after featuring on the outer courts or "park," as Paul joked, he shares the spotlight with Djokovic on Rod Laver Arena.
His career arc continues to rise, especially after victories last season over Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz.
"It's going to be a challenging match, but I'm playing some of my best tennis, so it's a good time," said the 25-year-old.
Paul switched from a Wilson to Yonex racquet a tad head-heavier in the off-season, with Stine admitting he initially didn't favour the move.
"It can be very tough sometimes doing that and I was a little bit nervous about it, I always am in those situations," said Stine, the ex-coach of Hall of Famer Jim Courier. "But obviously it has worked out phenomenally well.
"The racquet does have a bit more weight in the head, which I think has made a significant difference in his ball striking and serving."
Paul needs that oomph, presumably, to upset Djokovic.
[3] Stefanos Tsitsipas vs [18] Karen Khachanov
Head to head: 5-0
Overtaken by pals Rublev and Medvedev years ago, one can make a strong case for Khachanov now being the leading light among the trio of countrymen.
For the second consecutive Grand Slam, Khachanov bettered Medvedev and Rublev by making a semifinal.
"I think this kind of competition in a positive way between us helps us to get better," said Khachanov. "Look at Roger (Federer), Rafa, Novak, right?
"I don't want us to compare to them obviously, but it's kind of what pushed them through during the years. They admit it many times."
Khachanov beat Pablo Carreno Busta in five sets at the US Open but it was the next round where he garnered even more attention, battling past Nick Kyrgios in five more sets in another of their thrillers.
Going deep in matches – or even in rallies – is nothing new for the 26-year-old baseliner. He went 55 shots with Casper Ruud in the US Open semifinals, and 70 against Jason Kubler at AO 23.
Overall, though, Khachanov has only dropped two sets in Melbourne and is coming off a retirement win over Korda in under two hours.
Thus he feels more energised heading into this Grand Slam semifinal.
"I will be in a physically better shape," he said.
Khachanov must overturn an 0-5 record against Tsitsipas, whose success in Melbourne can't be too much of a surprise given his ability and the hefty support he receives from the city's residents with Greek ties.
Only one of Tsitsipas' matches hasn't finished in straight sets, so he, too, should be fresh. And when he needed to step it up on serve, the challenge has been met.
Tsitsipas has saved 43 of 49 break points, including 22 of 26 against Jannik Sinner in his lone outing at AO 23 that stretched to five sets.
His all-around game opposes Khachanov's tendency to stick on the baseline and look to dictate with his forehand.
He won't be underestimating Khachanov, but statistics indicate this is Tsitsipas' best opportunity to make a first final at the Australian Open and second at Grand Slam level, after losing to Djokovic in Paris two years ago.
Besides the head-to-head tally, Tsitsipas' three other semifinals in Melbourne saw him face Medvedev twice – when the latter ranked inside the top four – and Nadal.
"I'm feeling great with my tennis," said Tsitsipas. "I don't think I felt so good in a long time.
"I'm a different player, playing different. My mentality is different. When I'm out on the court, I don't really think of negatives. I just go out there and play the game."