Novak Djokovic stunned by Jannik Sinner in Australian Open SF, suffers first loss at Australian Open since 2018
Novak Djokovic suffered a shock defeat at the 2024 Australian Open, losing to Jannik Sinner in the semifinal on Friday.
Djokovic, the defending champion, lost the opening set 6-1 against the Italian, his worst set in Melbourne since 2013, where he lost a 6-1 set to Stan Wawrinka in the fourth round.
The World No. 1 did not fare much better in the second set, getting broken twice to lose 6-2. It marked the fewest games he won in the first two sets at a Grand Slam since trailing 6-0, 6-2 against Rafael Nadal in the 2020 French Open final and against Marat Safin in the 2005 Australian Open first round.
The third set, though, was more balanced, with both players holding serve to force a tiebreaker. Djokovic started strong, leading 2-1 and 4-2.
Sinner clawed his way back into the tiebreak, winning consecutive points on the 36-year-old's serve to take a 5-4 lead before squandering a match point at 6-5. The defending champion took the tiebreak to force a fourth set.
Impressively, the 22-year-old Sinner did not let the lost set affect his momentum, breaking Djokovic to lead 3-1. From there, the World No. 4 held serve with no signs of nerves, closing out the match 6-1, 6-2, 6-7(6), 6-3 to pull off one of the biggest wins of his career.
With the loss, Novak Djokovic faced his first defeat in the Australian Open since losing to Hyeon Chung in the fourth round in 2018.
Since then, the World No. 1 won the next three titles, in 2019, 2020 and 2021. After missing the 2021 edition due the vaccine mandate in Australia, he reigned supreme in 2023.
Overall, the Serb was on a 33-match win-streak at Melbourne Park, a streak only matched by Monica Seles in tournament history.
Jannik Sinner to take on Alexander Zverev or Daniil Medvedev in Australian Open final
Following his win over Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner will take on either Alexander Zverev or Daniil Medvedev in his first Major final. Both Medvedev and Zverev have made a Grand Slam title match before.
Zverev finished runner-up at the US Open in 2020, losing to Dominic Thiem. Medvedev, meanwhile, has made five Major finals, winning one, at the 2021 US Open. Two of his Major final losses have come at the Australian Open, losing to Djokovic in 2021 and Rafael Nadal a year later.