Dazzling Sinner ousts Djokovic

MELBOURNE, Australia - Jannik Sinner ended one of Novak Djokovic’s perfect streaks in an Australian Open upset and then got to relax while Daniil Medvedev rallied from two sets down to beat Alexander Zverev after midnight to secure the other place in the final.

Just about everything went the self-described tennis fan’s way in the semi-finals on Friday.

The 22-year-old Italian broke Djokovic’s serve twice in each of the first two sets in a surprisingly lopsided 6-1, 6-2, 6-7 (6), 6-3 victory that ended the 10-time champion’s unbeaten streak in Australian Open semi-finals.

Djokovic had won 33 consecutive matches at Melbourne Park since 2018, and never lost here after reaching the final four.

Almost an hour after saving a match point, that phenomenal sequence was over. Sinner converted his second match point to complete a third win in four head-to-heads since losing to Djokovic in last year’s Wimbledon semifinals.

“I learned a lot from that,” he said, noting the turning point in their rivalry. Sinner won two of the next three — all in November — at the ATP Finals in Turin and in the Davis Cup semifinals.

“It gives you a better feeling when you know that you can beat one player,” he said. “The confidence from the end of last year has for sure kept the belief.”

Third-seeded Medvedev appeared down and out after two sets, and was two points from losing in the fourth, but he rallied to beat Zverev 5-7, 3-6, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (5), 6-3 after 4 hours, 18 minutes.

“I was a little bit lost, but during the third set I started saying ‘If I lose this match, I just want to be proud of myself,’” said Medvedev, who has lost two finals in Australia, including the 2022 decider from two sets up against Rafael Nadal. “I’m proud of myself.”

Sinner will be the youngest player to contest the men’s final in Australia since 24-time major winner Djokovic took his first here in 2008.