Novak Djokovic stands on the brink of a record-extending 10th Australian Open title after he overcame a sluggish start to defeat Tommy Paul 7-5, 6-1, 6-2 on Friday in the semi-finals at Melbourne Park.

The Serbian struggled to find his best level at times during his maiden tour-level meeting with the American, but that did not apply to his trademark razor-sharp returning. Despite dropping four straight games from 5-1 to let Paul back into the opening set on Rod Laver Arena, Djokovic ultimately converted seven of 11 break points to move within one win of equalling Rafael Nadal’s tally of 22 major crowns.

Djokovic’s two-hour, 20-minute win set a championship match clash against Stefanos Tsitsipas, who earlier defeated Karen Khachanov 7-6(2), 6-4, 6-7(6), 6-3. Sunday’s final will also be a straight shootout for No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, with the winner set to leapfrog Carlos Alcaraz into top spot on Monday.

“Of course it [adds extra significance],” said Djokovic, when asked about the World No. 1 scenario. “Winning Grand Slams and being the No. 1 in the world are probably the two biggest peaks that you can climb as a professional tennis player. Let’s see what happens.”

Although he did not hit the lights-out levels of his past two matches against Alex de Minaur and Andrey Rublev, Djokovic was comfortable throughout the majority of his clash with Paul. The only exception was an uncharacteristic lapse in the first set, when Paul took advantage of a flurry of uncharacteristically wayward groundstrokes from the Serbian to recover a double-break deficit and level at 5-5.

Despite hitting 24 unforced errors in the opening set, Djokovic regained his composure to claim it, with some clinical groundstrokes earning him a decisive break in the 12th game. He carried that momentum through to dominate the second and third sets, winning the first four games of both to deny his less-experienced opponent any opportunity to settle.

“I was really fortunate to hold my nerve toward the end of the first set,” said Djokovic. “It was a key. After that I started swinging through the ball more, so I’m just really pleased to get through to another final.”

Friday’s win extended Djokovic’s winning streak at the Australian Open to 27 matches. After another dominant display, the 35-year-old reiterated how much he relished the vocal support of the fans on Rod Laver Arena, where he first lifted the Australian Open trophy in 2008.

“It means everything, especially at this stage of my career,” said Djokovic. “I need that engine, I need that energy and I’m really thankful that I still have enough gas in my legs to be able to play in this level on one of the biggest tennis courts in the world.”

Paul will be rewarded for reaching his maiden Grand Slam semi-final this fortnight in Melbourne with a spot in the Top 20 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings for the first time. The 25-year-old has risen 16 places to No. 19 in the Live Rankings behind his best major run.

Getting over the line to claim Grand Slam glory is one of the toughest tests in the game, but Stefanos Tsitsipas believes he has never been more ready to achieve that feat ahead of his maiden Australian Open final.

“I’m playing great tennis, I’m enjoying myself. I just see no downside or negativity in what I’m trying to do out there,” said the Greek after his 7-6(2), 6-4, 6-7(6), 6-3 semi-final victory against Karen Khachanov on Friday in Melbourne. “Even if it doesn’t work, I’m very optimistic and positive about any outcome, any opponent that I have to face.

“This is something that has been sort of lacking in my game. I genuinely believe in what I’m able to produce. That is more than enough. I go about [it] this way… I strive for it every single day. It might not go the way I want it to, but I put 110 per cent out there.”

Sunday’s championship match against Novak Djokovic or Tommy Paul will be an opportunity for Tsitsipas to banish any lingering disappointment from his first Grand Slam final, at Roland Garros in 2021. He led Djokovic by two-sets-to-love before falling to defeat on the Paris clay, but the Greek believes his improved ability to deal with difficult moments on court stands him in better stead this time around.

“I think it starts with confidence, your capabilities, what you can do out there,” he said. “I think frustration also builds when you start panicking or you feel completely off and completely not OK with your game. It has this tendency to build up over time, especially when you’re unable to find some sort of solutions within yourself.

“I definitely believe this is something that hasn’t been reoccurring. I have a good relationship with myself on the court. I think this is something that has given me that sort of attitude. Of course, less frustration than before.”

Should he triumph in Sunday’s final, Tsitsipas will rise to No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings for the first time. The third-seeded Greek admitted that claiming top spot would represent the fulfilment of a long-held, burning ambition.

“I remember watching [tennis] on TV saying to myself, I want to be there one day myself,” said Tsitsipas. “I want to recreate that feeling for me. I knew that [it would be] a very long journey to get there. There are certain steps you have to take to give yourself the chance to be competing for something like this.

“But I very much believed it… First of all, it’s your ego that speaks. You either have it or not, you know? As a kid, I was very confident. Thank god I was good in my country. Starting from that, I knew if I’m able to get out of my country and compete in other countries, European leagues, European tours, I proved [to] myself, over and over again, that I’m actually good.

“I did finish as a junior No. 1. Now I want to do it in the men’s side, in men’s professional tennis.”

Karen Khachanov backed up his semi-final showing at the 2022 US Open by matching his best Grand Slam result in Melbourne. After a 7-6(2), 6-4, 6-7(6), 6-3 defeat to Stefanos Tsitsipas on Friday in the Australian Open final four, the 18th seed spoke of “mixed feelings” after falling short of his first major final.

“Obviously I’m super happy, super proud of the [recent] results… second consecutive semi-final,” he said in his post-match press conference. “I fought hard. I was losing actually in the third set. He was serving for the match. He had two match points. I never give up.

“I think it was very close, a very good-level match. He took over in some important moments, some important points. He got the win, so simple as that.”

The 26-year-old moved up seven places to No. 13 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings this fortnight, closing in on his career high of World No. 8 from 2019. After taking some time to recover, he is keen to build on the lessons and experience he gained from his latest deep run.

“I definitely go with my head high,” he said. “[I will] rest a couple of days, think with my team for [my upcoming] schedule… have a team meeting to discuss those particular situations and moments on what we need to work.

“Hopefully I keep believing that I can pass this step next time, if I am in this situation, hopefully. That’s it.”

While Tsitsipas calls the Australian Open his ‘Home Slam’, Khachanov also enjoyed plenty of crowd support in Rod Laver Arena.

“Grateful for them to cheer, to support,” he said. “Just really happy to see everybody on that court to give me love all the way until the end.”

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.”