Novak Djokovic suffered his first defeat in an Australian Open semi-final (Image: Getty)
After nearly two-and-a-half hours of play, nothing separated Novak Djokovic and Taylor Fritz in their Australian Open quarter-final. The opening game was a sign of things to come on Tuesday in Melbourne, with Fritz saving three break points across 16 minutes.
Djokovic won the opening set after saving two set points at 5-6, but he missed out on his first 15 break points in Rod Laver Arena and looked in real trouble when his opponent snatched the second set behind an early break.
But this is Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open. The 10-time Melbourne champ cashed in on his two break chances in set three and quickly regained control of a highly entertaining clash. Fritz fought to the end, but Djokovic’s second wind proved enough to blow him over.
The Serbian wrapped up a 7-6(3), 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 victory in three hours, 45 minutes, the final two sets of a match that started out as a marathon racing by in 82 minutes.
“I suffered a lot in the first couple of sets, also due to his high-quality tennis,” Djokovic told Nick Kyrgios in his on-court interview. “He was serving well, he was staying close to the line, he was kind of suffocating me from the back of the court. I was [playing] most of the rallies on my back foot. It was really difficult to find the right timing. It was extremely hot while the sun was still out there. Physically very draining, emotionally as well.”
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While Djokovic looked weary-legged in the second set, the roles reversed when he came out refreshed for the third. As the court cooled in the early evening, the World No. 1 began to heat up. Once he hit top gear, Fritz could not reproduce the great escapes from the early action.
The result moved Djokovic to 9-0 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head, including quarter-final wins in the two most recent Grand Slams.
This one was far tighter than their US Open encounter last season, but Djokovic ultimately made Fritz pay for a mediocre serving day by the American’s lofty standards. Djokovic out-aced his opponent 20 to 16 and capitalised on Fritz’s 58 per cent first-serve percentage. After his 0 of 15 start on break points, Djokovic was four of six in the final two sets.
“At the end of the day, I managed to break him when it mattered, in the third and the fourth,” he said. “I think I upped my game probably midway through the third set, all the way to the end.”
Fritz made a last stand by breaking straight back after dropping serve midway through set four, but Djokovic immediately re-established his advantage before calmly serving out the win. Through to his 11th Australian Open semi-final, Djokovic awaits Jannik Sinner, a 6-4, 7-6(5), 6-3 winner against Andrey Rublev, for a Friday showdown after two days off.
Fritz, who was playing in his third Grand Slam quarter-final, was denied his first major semi-final appearance. Despite the defeat, the American moved up three places to No. 9 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings this tournament, setting himself up for a Top 10 return.
