Novak Djokovic is out of the Australian Open after Jannik Sinner ended his streak of 10 successive semi-final victories in a major boilover which also ends the Serbian star’s run of 33 straight unbeaten matches in Melbourne.
Sinner stunned the world No.1 from the outset and blitzed through the first two sets 6-1, 6-2. Djokovic halted the Italian’s run by winning the third in an intense tie-breaker 8-6 but Sinner regained the ascendacny to close out the shock upset 6-3 in the fourth.
It all went so horribly wrong for Djokovic on a court he’d made his own for a decade and a half. Djokovic was in no mood to look for excuses after playing one of the worst grand slam matches of his storied career at a venue he has dominated like no other.
It was the first time in an encounter that went the distance in Djokovic’s 415-match grand slam career in which he did not create a single break-point opportunity.
“Probably that stat says a lot,” said the No.1 seed, who had won his previous 33 matches on Rod Laver Arena. “First of all, he was serving very accurately and precisely. He was backing up his serve very well.
“For myself, it’s hard to describe … we don’t have that much time. There’s a lot of negative things that I’ve done on the court today in terms of my game that I’m not really pleased with, (be that) movement or forehand, backhand.
“Everything, you know, was just sub-par. He was very dominant, dominant on his service games. If you serve well and if you don’t face a break point, it plays with the mind of your opponent.”
After the first-set whitewash, Sam Smith on Nine commentary was awe-struck by Sinner’s dominance of Djokovic.
“I have never seen anything like this on this court when Novak is in the house. All of his first five service games, he has faced at least one break point. It is uphill right now for the champion.”
After Sinner continued to sizzle through the second set, Jim Courier added: “When was the last time Novak has been beaten 6-1, 6-2, at any tournament? You would have to take a good long look in the past for that. This has been almost beyond belief.”
Djokovic was aiming for a record-extending 37th grand slam title decider.
Instead, the world No.1 – who won three of the four majors last year – remains level with Margaret Court with a record-equalling 24 grand slam singles crowns.
He must wait until the French Open in May to try to surpass Court and take sole possession of the tennis benchmark he craves the most.
Sinner was lost for words after his seismic triumph.
“I don’t know what to say, really,” said the world No.4.
“I came here (in late December), I started off in Kooyong with a couple of exhibition matches and tried to come here as prepared as possible.
“The confidence from the end of last year has kept the belief that I can play against the best players in the world.
“I’m really happy that I can play Sunday in my first final. Let’s see how it goes.
“I will come here with a smile and try my best.”
Sinner came into the match in red-hot form – he had not dropped a set at the Open and he had defeated Djokovic in their most recent match-up in the Davis Cup semi-finals in November.
But the world No.4 had only reached the final-four of a grand slam once previously – at Wimbledon last year when he was eliminated by the Serb in straight sets.
Jannik Sinner celebrates. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)
Sinner has created his own piece of history with victory in Friday’s first semi-final, joining Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal as just the third player to beat Djokovic at a grand slam, the ATP Finals and in Davis Cup.
World No.3 Daniil Medvedev or German No.6 seed Alexander Zverev, who take to Rod Laver Arena on Friday night, await Sinner.
On the evidence of not only the past fortnight in Melbourne – where the 22-year-old has yet to drop a set – but the past four months, Sinner is very much the man to beat.
Thriving under Australian super-coach Darren Cahill, who guided Lleyton Hewitt, Andre Agassi and Simona Halep to world No.1, Sinner has swept all before him since a sapping fourth-round loss to Zverev at the US Open in September.
He has collected titles in Beijing – where he conquered Medvedev and Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz – and Vienna, made the season-ending championship final in Turin and piloted Italy to a drought-breaking Davis Cup triumph.
Sinner’s twin victories over Djokovic at the ATP Finals and Davis Cup had placed the tennis world on notice.
But few could have imagined how he’d put Djokovic to the sword on Friday.
So dominant was Sinner that Djokovic was not able to muster a single break-point chance on his opponent for the first time in his illustrious grand slam career.
Sinner bolted out of the blocks, breaking the 10-time champion in the second game of the match, then again in the sixth to race through the opening set in 35 minutes. It was the first time Djokovic had conceded a set 6-1 at the Open in a decade.
As the great Serb made error after error, Sinner cracked winners seemingly at will.
There was no let-up in the second as the Italian claimed two more double breaks to leave Djokovic – and his legion of fans – looking shell-shocked.
Djokovic had recovered from two sets down against Sinner in the Wimbledon quarter-finals two years ago and staged another fightback on Friday.
But even after saving a match point in the tense third-set tiebreaker, there was no escaping this time.
Sinner broke Djokovic for a fifth time in the fourth game of the fourth set, then held his nerve, and serve, three more times to snuff out any comeback and seal victory after three hours and 22 minutes with a huge forehand winner.
with AAP
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