Stefanos Tsitsipas will play for his first Grand Slam title and the No. 1 Pepperstone ATP Ranking after he booked his place in the Australian Open final with a gritty win against Karen Khachanov. In a 7-6(2), 6-4, 6-7(6), 6-3 semi-final victory on Friday, the Greek dominated with his all-action game, keeping his opponent under constant pressure in the three-hour, 21-minute match.

What looked on course to be his fifth straight-sets win of the fortnight was complicated by a late Khachanov surge. The first-time Melbourne semi-finalist denied Tsitsipas’ attempt to serve out the match at 5-4 in the third set, and in the tie-break he saved two match points with fearless forehand winners, sparking a run of four points to steal the set.

But as he did after failing to serve out the opening set, the Greek responded, seeing home a 3-0 lead in the final set to advance.

“I thought about how hard I’ve worked to get into this position, and it takes a little bit more,” Tsitsipas said of his mentality entering the fourth set. “I wasn’t able to deliver that in the third set; I was extremely close to getting it.

“It’s one of these moments that if you stick around, if you dedicate yourself even more and if you concentrate on these important moments event more, it pays off quite well. And always having that ambience in the background somewhere feels so good when I’m able to hit the ball and get such a reward back from the fans.”

The third seed awaits nine-time champion Novak Djokovic or unseeded American Tommy Paul in Sunday’s title match. If it is the Serbian across the net, the pair will contest a straight shootout for World No. 1 in a rematch of the 2021 Roland Garros final, won by Djokovic in five sets.

“These are the moments I’ve been working hard for. To be able to play finals like this, but finals that have bigger meaning that just a final,” he said in his on-court interview. “It’s a Grand Slam final, I’m fighting for the No. 1 spot. It’s a childhood dream to be capturing the No. 1 spot one day. I’m close. I’m happy that this opportunity comes here in Australia and not somewhere else, because this is a place of significance.

“Let’s do it guys!” he continued, addressing the Rod Laver Arena crowd that has helped fuel his run. “Let’s go!”

As he has done all tournament, Tsitsipas built his success on big serves and punishing forehands, with a big helping from his defence and mental fortitude. The 24-year-old continued to crush his forehand with perhaps more conviction that at any point in his career, dictating points off that wing at every opportunity.

Tsitsipas overcame adversity in the first set, in which he twice led by a break only for Khachanov to immediately level on both occasions. Despite being called for multiple time violations and a foot fault as the set built toward a tie-break, Tsitsipas regrouped and was the steadier player at the crucial moments, taking control of the match with a one-sided finish to the set.

The third seed faced just one break point in the final three sets — the crucial moment when Khachanov broke from 30/15 as Tsitsipas tightened in his effort to serve out the match.

Late in set two, Tsitsipas used the point of the match to bring up 15/40 in the ninth game, retrieving three consecutive Khachanov overheads before claiming a 22-ball rally with a forehand winner. He went on to seal the break and serve out the set to love.

“The most extraordinary point” 🫠@steftsitsipas digs deep and finds a way to win the rally 👏 @wwos • @espn • @eurosport • @wowowtennis • #AO2023 • #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/43Q9aEmlQ7

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 27, 2023

Tsitsipas did his damage early in set three, breaking in its third game, but he could not extend his lead despite forcing deuce in his next two return games. That came back to haunt him as Khachanov extended the match, but the Greek made no mistake the fourth set, clinching victory on his fourth match point.

After extending his perfect ATP Head2Head record to 6-0 against Khachanov, the Greek is through to his second Grand Slam final and his first in Melbourne after three previous semi-final defeats at what he calls his ‘home Slam’.

Khachanov was bidding to reach his first Grand Slam final in what was his 24th major appearance. The 26-year-old reached the semi-finals at consecutive majors after advancing to that stage of Slam for the first time at the 2022 US Open.

Brazilians Rafael Matos and Luisa Stefani sunk their teeth into the Australian Open mixed doubles trophy on Friday, still yet to taste defeat as a duo. With a 7-6(2), 6-2 final victory against the Indian pair of Rohan Bopanna and Sania Mirza, Matos/Stefani improved to 7-0 as a team and claimed what is a first Grand Slam title for both in any discipline.

The champions began their partnership in 2023, going 2-0 at the United Cup before extending their perfect start in Melbourne.

“Luisa, thank you so much for these two weeks, actually this month,” Matos said during the trophy ceremony. “It was special playing with another Brazilian player… I think we worked really good these two weeks, we were focussed on what we wanted, and we did it!”

Matos became the fifth Brazilian man to win a major title, while Stefani is now the second woman from the nation to secure Grand Slam glory. Stefani, who has won 18 of 20 women’s doubles matches since returning from knee surgery in September, was not able to compete in the Melbourne women’s doubles draw after partner Caty McNally withdrew.

The 25-year-old recalled when Matos first asked her about teaming up for mixed doubles: “It was about Wimbledon time last year. I was doing rehab, closer to coming back but I was still working hard,” she said. “When he asked me when I was coming back so maybe we could play some mixed, that was a big motivation to me to keep working hard, keep getting closer to coming back. And now here we are, winning our first Grand Slam together in Australia, on this beautiful court, amazing day, in front of this amazing crowd with lots of Brazilians here.

“It’s really special and incredible to share this dream with you and our team.”

Both Matos and Stefani paid triubute to Mirza in their trophy speeches, honouring the 36-year-old who was playing her final Grand Slam event. Mirza won six major titles in her career, three in women’s doubles and three in mixed. Her final tournament will be in Dubai in February.

Bopanna, 42, was seeking to become the oldest Grand Slam winner since Martine Navratilova won the 2006 US Open mixed doubles crown at 49.

Last September, all eyes were on Carlos Alcaraz in New York as he hoisted the US Open trophy to the sky. Elsewhere, Karen Khachanov was taking in a moment that could well have belonged to him. In this relentless sport, where everything happens at breakneck speed, achievements are sometimes quickly forgotten or undervalued. But Khachanov was just two sets away from contesting his first major final that fortnight.

That same player now wears a broad grin on his face as he strolls through the corridors of Melbourne Park, where another chance at history has come knocking. The towering, 6-foot-6 player has deployed his furious style of tennis with undeniable confidence under the Australian sun to reach a second straight semi-final at a Grand Slam.

The sweet moment in the career of the World No. 20 has come in the company of Jose Manuel ‘Pepo’ Clavet, one of the most renowned coaches in Spanish tennis. With over 30 years of experience fine-tuning the talent on Tour, names such as Feliciano Lóopez, Alex Corretja and Carlos Moya have all spent time under his watchful eye.

The Madrid native has been in Khachanov’s corner since 2020. His student is on a promising trajectory and is now set to do something big at the Australian Open. Since teaming up, they have made the second week of every Grand Slam at least once — a trait of a truly elite player. They won the silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics and have set themselves one clear goal: to take Khachanov back into the Top 10, where he has not been for more than three years.

“The key to being in the semi-finals of consecutive Grand Slams has been confidence,” explains Clavet from Melbourne. “It’s very important for all players, but in such a temperamental player like Karen, with ups and downs, it’s key. Now, he’s on a high and he’s a very dangerous player. The US Open semi-final gave him a lot of confidence. Now, he’s back to his best in Australia. We’ll see if he continues to play as he has so far on Friday to book a place in the final on Sunday. Why not?”

Since joining forces with Clavet, Khachanov has made psychology a priority. The former World No. 8 has given his thoughts a central place in his preparations, working closely with a sports psychologist. His coach, with whom he started work at 24 years of age, has also attended some of these sessions in order to understand how to break through some of his understudy’s self-imposed barriers to progression.

His performances in Melbourne leave no room for doubt: Khachanov has kept his head in his five outings, demonstrating his increasing mental toughness. The 26-year-old has played his best tennis at key moments in Australia, where he has won all four tie-breaks he’s played. Nobody has managed to take him to five sets; the only other player who can lay claim to that is Novak Djokovic.

“We’re working on the consistency of his game. We want it to be more constant throughout the year,” explains Clavet. “He has played well in certain tournaments for some time, reaching the quarters at Wimbledon, silver medal at the Olympics… but to reach the top of the [Pepperstone ATP Rankings] you need to play very well for many weeks of the year. We’re trying to instill that consistency in him. Also, we’re working a lot on improving his net game. Given the power he has from the baseline, we’d like him to be able to finish more points off at the net.”

While they go about adding extra weapons to Karen’s game, Clavet speaks of Khachanov’s joy in their work, as he attempts to guide this extrovert character to greater success. The Spanish coach’s easy-going nature is one of his biggest selling points and he is confident they have found the balance Khachanov has been searching for throughout his career. With peace of mind, the limit for his hard-working student is very high indeed.

“He has the ability to do anything,” Clavet notes. “He is very aggressive from the baseline, he serves very well. For his height he has great mobility. The net is the part he still has to improve, but it’s not that he’s bad there. What makes me proudest is how complete his game is.

“And of course, he dreams of lifting a Grand Slam. Players are like that, in a way they have the right to hope they’ll do it. Karen has been in the quarters at Wimbledon and Roland Garros, he’s reached the semis at the US Open and now the Australian Open. He is two matches away. Why not? He’s won five and there are two left. You always have to think positive. He is doing that now and I’m sure he dreams of it.”

To break through that wall, he will have to overcome a personal challenge. In the semi-finals on Friday he will meet Stefanos Tsitsipas, a player bidding to become World No. 1 at the end of the tournament. The Greek, who leads their ATP Head2Head 5-0, is the embodiment of the consistency Khachanov aspires to — a perfect mirror on the big stage.

“The match against Tsitsipas will be difficult,” warns Clavet. “In a Grand Slam semi-final, all players are difficult. He’s never beaten him, but he’s been close several times. I believe in Karen, when he has that confidence, he’s a very dangerous player who can beat anyone. I believe in his chances on Friday.”

American men’s tennis is on the rise, and few are climbing higher than Australian Open semi-finalist Tommy Paul.

During his run to his first Grand Slam semi-final, the 25-year-old has soared 16 places up the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings to No. 19, setting himself up to crack the Top 20 for the first time in Monday’s edition of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

Paul just missed out on a seed at the Australian Open as the World No. 35, but has dropped only four sets in his five Melbourne matches thus far. He knocked off 24th seed Roberto Bautista Agut and 30th seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina on his path to the last four, where he will meet nine-time champion Novak Djokovic.

If Paul can pull off the upset, he will further rise to No. 15 by reaching the final and into the Top 10 at No. 9 with a title. Taylor Fritz, at No. 8 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, will remain the American No. 1 into February, while Frances Tiafoe makes it three men from the United States in the Top 20 at No. 15.

Paul is doubly proud of his success as it comes during such a purple patch for American tennis.

“It’s important to me,” he said in press following his quarter-final victory. “American tennis, since I was young, that’s all we’ve been hearing, since like 14 years old. The coaches have been telling us, ‘We need new Americans, we need new Americans.’ It’s kind of engraved in my head.

“We all want to perform. Obviously Frances was pretty damn close at the US Open to getting past the semis. Who knows what would have happened in the final. I think we all want it pretty bad for ourselves, but we want it for U.S. tennis, too.”

Ten Americans now feature the Top 50 of the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, including former college stars Ben Shelton and J.J. Wolf. Shelton, in his first trip outside of his home nation, is the biggest mover of the fortnight; he rocketed up 46 places to No. 43 behind his Australian Open quarter-final run. One round prior to his four-set loss to Paul, the 20-year-old Shelton defeated Wolf in five sets. Wolf, with his best major showing, moved up 20 spots to No. 47.

Sebastian Korda is also set for a new career high of World No. 26 after he upset Daniil Medvedev and Hubert Hurkacz to reach the quarter-finals. With Korda, Shelton and Paul all reaching the last eight, it marked the first time since 2000 that three American men have reached that stage in Melbourne — and the first time at any Slam since the 2005 US Open.

The American presence in the Top 50 of the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings also includes No. 38 Jenson Brooksby, No. 41 John Isner, No. 48 Reilly Opelka and No. 49 Brandon Nakashima. After his first-round upset of Rafael Nadal, Mackenzie McDonald is up to No. 62, while Michael Mmoh is set for a new career high inside the Top 85 after his run to the third round.

Elsewhere, Jiri Lehecka’s rise of 32 places is second only to Shelton’s improvement, with the 21-year-old Czech up to No. 39 following his run to the Australian Open quarters.

Even with all those milestones, the drama is far from complete in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings this fortnight. While Karen Khachanov would rise as high as No. 7 with the Melbourne title, Novak Djokovic and Stefanos Tsitsipas are both two wins away from World No. 1. Should the pair meet in a rematch of the 2021 Roland Garros final, the winner-takes-all contest would determine who leaves the Australian Open as the ATP Tour’s leading man.

Andrey Rublev and Grigor Dimitrov were among eight new player members who convened on the eve of the Australian Open for the first meeting of the new ATP Player Advisory Council.

The ATP Player Advisory Council is a group of ATP members elected by their peers to serve and act as the voice of the player body in tour-wide decisions.

The newly elected members are:

• 1-50 Singles: Andrey Rublev & Grigor Dimitrov
• 51-100 Singles: Pedro Martinez & Bernabe Zapata Miralles
• 1-25 Doubles: Wesley Koolhof
• 1-75 Doubles: Harri Heliovaara
• At-Large: Pedro Cachin & Matt Ebden
• Coach Representative: Daniel Vallverdu
• Alumni Representative: Nicolas Pereira

The first ATP Player Advisory Council meeting of the year took place in Melbourne on 12 January.

Bulgaria’s former World No. 3 and 2017 Nitto ATP Finals champion Dimitrov said: “I’ve been asked so many times in the past but I just never felt it was the right time and the right fit for me at the time. I think now I’m in a position where I’ve got a few years behind me, I have the experience on the court, I have experience with the players and I’m looking forward to it.”

Dutchman Wesley Koolhof, who last year finished year-end No. 1 with Neal Skupski in the Pepperstone ATP Doubles Team Rankings, said: “I think it’s important for the players to have a voice and someone to listen and try to make changes where we need to make changes. I personally felt like it would be a good thing to do, to listen to the players and to fight for our position, especially for doubles obviously and to make the sport a better place in general.”

The ATP Player Advisory Council meets several times a year and makes recommendations to ATP Management and the ATP Board of Directors through the Player Board representatives, whom the Council elects.

Council members appointed to a specific rankings category (e.g. 1-50 singles) are elected by player members within the same category. At-large council members are elected by a vote of all Division 1 and 2 ATP player members (up to 500 singles and 250 doubles players). The Council’s coach representative is elected by ATP coach members and the Alumni representative is elected by ATP alumni members.

Learn more about the ATP structure

Meet the ATP Board Of Directors