Streaking Daniil Medvedev will face Novak Djokovic in Australian Open final
MELBOURNE, Australia — Daniil Medvedev simply does not lose right now. Not to Top 10 opponents. Not to anyone, really. Certainly not to a drained Stefanos Tsitsipas in the Australian Open semifinals.
Now let’s see what happens against Novak Djokovic in Rod Laver Arena.
Medvedev made it to his second Grand Slam final as he pursues his first major championship, overwhelming fifth-seeded Tsitsipas 6-4, 6-2, 7-5 on Friday at Melbourne Park to run his winning streak to 20 matches. That includes a dozen victories against opponents in the Top 10.
“He’s a player who has unlocked pretty much everything in the game,” Tsitsipas said.
Jennifer Brady knew years ago that Naomi Osaka would be dominant force in the world of tennis. Now she faces Osaka in the Australian Open final.
Tsitsipas, a 22-year-old from Greece, came out flat, looking drained after an epic four-hour victory over Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals Wednesday, coming back from a two-set deficit.
Medvedev, meanwhile, was terrific, losing serve just once and accruing 17 aces among his 46 winners.
In Sunday’s final, the No. 4-seeded Medvedev will take on the No. 1 Djokovic, who already owns eight Australian Open titles among his 17 Grand Slam trophies as he tries to gain on the men’s record of 20 shared by Nadal and Roger Federer.
Djokovic, who won his semifinal against 114th-ranked qualifier Aslan Karatsev on Thursday, is a combined 17-0 in semifinals and finals at Melbourne Park.
After beating Serena Williams in prime time, Naomi Osaka faces former UCLA star Jennifer Brady in a midnight finals showdown at the Australian Open.
“It’s him that has all the pressure, getting [closer] to Roger or Rafa in the Grand Slams,” Medvedev said. “So I just hope that I’m going to get out here, show my best tennis. As we see, I can win [against] some big names if I play good. That’s the main part. He has, for sure, more experience, but more things to lose than me.”
Medvedev was the runner-up to Nadal at the 2019 U.S. Open.
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