Tennis News

Old King, New Order: Djokovic & Sinner set for Australian Open SF blockbuster

There are nights at Melbourne Park when the future knocks loudly on the door, and others when history refuses to move aside. Friday’s Australian Open semi-final between Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner promises a collision of both.

Sinner, the two-defending champion, is aiming to join Djokovic as the only men in the Open Era to win three consecutive titles in Melbourne, but the 38-year-old — who boasts a record 10 trophies — still refuses to loosen his grip on his most successful tournament. Their clash is slated for 7:30 p.m. local time / 3:30 a.m. EST.

Although the Australian Open remains Djokovic’s domain, Sinner has won his past five Lexus ATP Head2Head meetings against the Serbian, including straight-sets victories in the semi-finals of both Roland Garros and Wimbledon last season.

🎾Sinner vs Djokovic🧐

Our comparison shows the data from the players 52-week averages on the ATP Tour📊#TennisInsights | @atptour pic.twitter.com/na5En88Gfw

— Tennis Insights (@tennis_insights) January 29, 2026

Sinner, for his part, has been quick to frame the contest with respect and perspective.

“It’s great to have Novak playing at this level,” Sinner said of Djokovic, who is chasing a record 25th major title. “It’s a Grand Slam, it’s always very difficult against Novak… He is, I think, the most professional athlete we have here in the locker room. I also try to be as professional as possible.

“He has a huge package of experience with himself. He knows how to handle every situation the best possible way. As a 24-year-old, I’m lucky to have someone like him in front of my eyes, and I can hopefully learn something. I feel like every day, every time he plays, I can learn something about him, about Carlos, about all the other great, great players.”

“I think the way he’s playing, the way he’s moving, if you are not professional, you don’t play at this level. He’s an inspiration to all of us and especially the young players.”

Sinner’s evolution has been underpinned by ruthless baseline efficiency and improved point-ending instincts, qualities that have repeatedly troubled Djokovic in recent meetings. The 24-year-old’s ability to take time away has neutralised the Serbian’s famed defensive elasticity.

For Djokovic to turn the tide and book his spot in an 11th Australian Open final, the tactical demands are steep. Variety will be essential, as it was during the latter stages of his Roland Garros campaign last year but, above all, Djokovic must impose uncertainty.

The No. 4 player in the PIF ATP Rankings, knows the scale of the challenge.

“He’s just playing on such a high level right now, along with Carlos. They’re the two best players in the world,” Djokovic said. “[They are] absolute favourites, but you never know… Hopefully I can deliver my A-game for that matchup, because that’s what’s going to be needed at least to have a chance.”

Last year, Djokovic produced a stirring quarter-final victory over Carlos Alcaraz in Melbourne before the Spaniard later exacted revenge en route to the US Open crown. Sinner and Alcaraz have split the past eight major titles, shaping a rivalry many believe will define the next era.

But Djokovic has never measured himself by trends.

“Are they better right now than me and all the other guys? Yes, they are,” Djokovic admitted. “The quality and the level is amazing. It’s great. It’s phenomenal. But does that mean that I walk out with a white flag? No.”

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The last chance – will Alcaraz & Sinner be stopped in Melbourne?

Few people predicted anything other than Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner meeting in the Australian Open final – will Alexander Zverev and Novak Djokovic stop them?

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Sabalenka storms into Melbourne final for fourth year in a row

Aryna Sabalenka keeps her cool to storm past Elina Svitolina and reach a fourth Australian Open final in a row.

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‘He has to sweat’ — Can Zverev rise to Alcaraz’s SF challenge at Australian Open?

At an Australian Open where the stakes stretch beyond a place in the final, Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev collide in Friday’s semi-final with vastly different milestones in sight, and their Lexus ATP Head2Head rivalry finely balanced at 6–6.

Alcaraz, the No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings, is chasing his first Australian Open title, with which he would complete the Career Grand Slam, while for Zverev — a three-time major finalist and last year’s runner-up in Melbourne — the stakes centre on a long-awaited maiden Slam trophy.

Their clash is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. local time / 10:30 p.m. EST inside Rod Laver Arena.

🎾Alcaraz vs Zverev🧐

Our comparison shows the players data when playing against each other on the ATP Tour, with how they perform against their 52-week averages📊#TennisInsights | @atptour pic.twitter.com/eSHuWg8Ieq

— Tennis Insights (@tennis_insights) January 29, 2026

Their paths to the semi-finals reflect that contrast. Zverev has been repeatedly tested, dropping a set in four of five matches, while Alcaraz has been clinical throughout, reaching his fourth straight major semi-final — and first in Melbourne — without dropping a set. Alcaraz has since closely tracked both Zverev’s level and the toll required to sustain it.

“I’ve watched his matches through the tournament,” Alcaraz said of Zverev. “It’s impressive the level he’s been playing so far, so it’s going to be a great battle. I know that he’s serving pretty well. He’s playing really solid and aggressive when he can in the rallies from the baseline.

“I will be ready, for sure. I’m excited about playing him here [at the] AO in a semi-final. I know what I have to do. I will be well prepared for that match. If he wants to beat me, he has to sweat a lot.”

Alcaraz’s quarter-final win over Alex de Minaur showcased his growing control in Melbourne, lifting his intensity after a tight opening set through heavier ball striking and disciplined aggression. These are traits he will again rely on to drag Zverev into physical exchanges.

Zverev’s run has been powered by his serve. Against Learner Tien, he struck 24 aces and used his first strike to shorten points, a pattern that has defined his tournament and will be central if he is to avoid extended rallies.

The semi-final may hinge on whether Alcaraz can stretch Zverev and prolong exchanges, or whether Zverev can impose his serve and draw on his experience at this stage in Melbourne — including last year’s final — in a setting that remains new territory for Alcaraz at the Australian Open.

“I actually feel like top players feel the most pressure in the beginning, not having an early exit,” Zverev said before he knew the outcome of Alcaraz and De Minaur’s quarter-final. “Now, whoever I’m going to play in the semis, Carlos or Alex, they’re great players. You just are looking forward to a fantastic match. That’s what you are looking forward to.

“Of course, in my case, I’m still chasing that desired Slam. I still want to achieve that, but I also want to enjoy my tennis. Right now I’m doing that, and that’s the most important thing for me.”

With history beckoning on both sides, a rivalry locked at 6–6, and contrasting strengths poised to collide, this Australian Open semi-final shapes as a test of strategy, stamina and nerve.

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When do Alcaraz, Zverev, Djokovic & Sinner play their Australian Open SFs on Friday?

Carlos Alcaraz will continue his quest for a maiden Australian Open title on Friday, when he headlines semi-final action at the hard-court major.

The No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings, Alcaraz faces last year’s finalist Alexander Zverev on Rod Laver Arena not before 2:30 p.m. local time / 10:30 p.m. EST. Alcaraz is competing in his first semi-final at Melbourne Park and is chasing the Career Grand Slam. His Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Zverev is tied at 6-6.

View Friday’s schedule here.

Two-time defending champion Jannik Sinner faces record 10-time titlist Novak Djokovic in the second semi-final, scheduled for 7:30 p.m. local time / 3:30 a.m. EST. Sinner is aiming to join Djokovic as the only men to win three consecutive men’s singles titles at the Australian Open.

It marks the first time that the top four seeds have advanced to the semi-finals of a major since Roland Garros in 2019.

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Sinner beats Shelton to set up Djokovic semi-final

Defending champion Jannik Sinner beats eighth seed Ben Shelton 6-3 6-4 6-4 to set up a semi-final with Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open.

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Will anyone deny Sabalenka at Australian Open?

Aryna Sabalenka is two wins away from continuing her reign of dominance with a third Australian Open title in four years. Will anyone stop her?

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Shelton on Sinner loss: 'I'm trying to put all the pieces together'

Ben Shelton may have been stopped at a major for the fourth time by Jannik Sinner, but the American left Rod Laver Arena on Wednesday with plenty to be encouraged by after another deep Grand Slam run.

The eighth seed dropped just one set en route to his fifth major quarter-final before running into the Italian once again, with Sinner extending his dominance in the rivalry to a 9-1 lead in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

“I think my level is better, and I’m getting better and better and becoming a lot less limited,” Shelton said when analysing his progress. “I think this game takes time, and the results don’t always come when you want them. I’m getting to the point now where I’m getting stopped by the toughest challenge in the game for the most part, and I do think that I’m close to bringing it all together.

“I think it’s just going to take that one time where I do it to kind of get me over the hump. It’s always been that way for me. Certainly not discouraged from a performance like this, but I want to see myself get out in front and see what I can do from there in a match rather than falling behind just because I know how I feel when I get out in front at slams. I feel like I’m untouchable. I guarantee the other guys at the top feel the exact same.

“It’s a matter of time and work just trying to put all the pieces together, because I’m not complete yet, but I feel myself becoming more complete.”

Shelton reached his first major quarter-final at the Australian Open in 2023. The 23-year-old has since won three tour-level titles, including his maiden ATP Masters 1000 crown in Toronto, and cracked the Top 5 in the PIF ATP Rankings.

At Slams, Shelton has often delivered, highlighted by semi-finals at the US Open (2023) and Australian Open (2025). It is under those conditions, he admits, that his competitive instincts are strongest.

“I’m an addict. I’ve become more and more addicted to this game and figuring things out, chasing the guys who are ahead of me,” Shelton said. “It’s feeling the pressure that you feel on the court at a Grand Slam, there’s no better feeling… That’s what drives me every day, and I just feel like the drive getting stronger and stronger each year.”

Shelton caused two-time defending champion Sinner problems at times with his destructive first serve and bruising forehands, yet was unable to capitalise in the key moments in his 3-6, 4-6, 4-6 loss.

“I think I had two second-serve looks on break points today, and I think I missed both of them, or maybe one of them I hit weak and he spread me quickly,” Shelton said reflecting on the match.

“I think that with other guys, I can get away with putting in the court and either being at neutral or having to scramble a little bit at the first ball and then getting back to neutral or getting on offense. I was doing a really good job of that. But with a guy who has the plus-one ability that he has off of both sides, I needed to be a lot better and have more purpose with my second-serve return, which I thought that he had against me. He was able to put me in uncomfortable positions and get to offense a good amount of times on my second serve and make me think about which serves I was using.”

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Two sets up, no way through: Musetti joins rare major retirement list

When Lorenzo Musetti walked to the net on Tuesday night at the Australian Open, the scoreboard told a story that tennis almost never sees.

Two sets to love up against Novak Djokovic, the Italian was forced to retire in their quarter-final, joining one of the sport’s most painful and unusual footnotes: players who have led by two sets at a Grand Slam and never finished the match.

Remarkably, this is not the first time Musetti has found himself on the wrong side of this rare statistic and against the same opponent. At Roland Garros in 2021, Musetti stunned the tennis world by taking the opening two sets from Djokovic in the fourth round. Physical struggles followed, Djokovic surged back, and Musetti eventually retired in the fifth set. Five years later, on a different surface, history repeated itself.

Across the entire Open Era (since 1968), there have been only a handful of instances where a player has retired from a major match despite holding a two-set advantage. Grigor Dimitrov was the most recent example at last year’s Wimbledon, where he retired due to a pectoral injury when leading Jannik Sinner 6-3, 7-5, 2-2.

Research contribution from Jon Jeraj

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Australian Open Daily: Djokovic advances after Musetti injury as Sinner awaits

Novak Djokovic progresses to the Australian Open semi-finals after Lorenzo Musetti retires, while there are also wins for Jannik Sinner, Elena Rybakina and Jessica Pegula.

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