Djokovic Outlasts Sinner for Australian Open Final Spot
In a five-set marathon past midnight in Melbourne, Novak Djokovic toppled Jannik Sinner’s reign, earning a showdown with Carlos Alcaraz for a record 25th Grand Slam title.
The Rod Laver Arena thrummed with late-night tension as Novak Djokovic faced the weight of a shifting era at the Australian Open. Doubts had swirled all season about whether the veteran could pierce the armor of the young duo dominating majors. His 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 victory over Jannik Sinner silenced them, the match spilling past 1:30 a.m. under Melbourne’s unyielding lights.
Resilience counters Sinner’s precision
Sinner arrived unbeaten at this tournament since 2023, his flat groundstrokes slicing through the plexicushion hard courts like a scalpel. Djokovic, though, leaned on his one-two pattern—serves slicing wide followed by heavy topspin forehands—to wrest control in the second set. He stepped inside the baseline on returns, turning Sinner’s pace against him with crosscourt angles that forced errors.
The Italian’s serve, a cornerstone of his back-to-back titles here, faltered under pressure as Djokovic mixed inside-out forehands with down-the-line backhands. Fatigue crept in during the deciders, where the Serb’s experience amplified small edges, breaking Sinner’s rhythm with underspin slices that pulled him off the baseline. This wasn’t just endurance; it was a masterclass in adaptation on a surface that demands both power and finesse.
Momentum shifts in the deciders
As the third set slipped away on a wayward forehand, Djokovic’s stare hardened, the crowd’s chants fueling his pushback. He disrupted Sinner’s baseline solidity by varying depths, opening the court for winners that echoed through the arena. By the fourth, the physical toll showed, but the veteran’s mental grip tightened, converting break points at key moments.
Sinner’s first defeat on these courts in three years marked the end of an unyielding streak, built amid Davis Cup duties and ATP pressures. Djokovic, drawing from a career of late-night epics, now turns to the final against Carlos Alcaraz, who had earlier outlasted Alexander Zverev in another five-set epic. Their clash promises to blend explosive athleticism with tactical depth, with 25 Slams on the line reshaping the tour’s hierarchy.
Final sets up legacy clash
Alcaraz and Sinner had shared the last eight majors, their youth redefining hard-court tennis. Yet Djokovic’s semifinal blueprint—aggressive returns and spin variation—positions him to challenge that narrative on Sunday. The Melbourne hard courts, with their medium bounce, could favor his adjustments, turning this decider into a pivotal test of old guard versus new.