Novak Djokovic is into his tenth Australian Open semi-final as he thrashed Andrey Rublev 6-1 6-2 6-4.
The former world number one was simply too good for the underwhelming Russian as he won another match in straight sets.
Rublev had no game-plan as he couldn’t power his way past the stubborn defence of Djokovic.
The Serb will now face Tommy Paul for a place in his first Australian Open final for two years.
Djokovic always caused a threat on return for Rublev, with the world number six struggling to create efficient points on serve from the start of the match.
After saving break point in the second game, Rublev seemingly had no plan on how he was going to break down Djokovic’s game.
The nine-time champion welcomed Rublev’s error prone approach as the Serb neutralised the Russian’s power to secure the break for a 3-1 lead.
Djokovic continued to work the angles on the next return game with Rublev being forced to go for his serve on the big points.
On his fourth break point of the game, Djokovic succeeded in breaking as he broke for 5-1.
Rublev tried to restore late pride but Djokovic fended off the late surge as he saved two set points and served out the opening set in 40 minutes.
There was a better start from Rublev in the second set as he managed to be more consistent on return and test Djokovic’s nerve on the big points.
However when it mattered most Djokovic stepped up his game as some stunning baseline play saw him break to 15 for a 3-2 lead.
Rublev continued to push for the break but the world number five was too strong as he broke again and saved three break points to close out a two set lead.
There was no way back for Rublev as an early break of serve all but clinched victory for the nine-time champion.
The Russian served his best in the third set but ultimately provided no resistance on return as Djokovic cruised to a tenth Australian Open semi-final.
After the match, Djokovic admitted he cannot be happier with his performance, “I cannot be happier with my tennis honestly,” Djokovic said in his on-court interview.
“I’ve been playing very solid from the back of the court and I really love playing in these conditions on this court. I’ve said it many times, I love playing here, definitely the most special court for me.
“Andrey is a great opponent, a great player, I have tonnes of respect for him. He has one of the biggest forehands, [he’s] one of the quickest players on the tour. If I had to sum it up, in all the important moments I played my best tennis so that’s what makes me the most pleased tonight.”
Djokovic’s bid for a record-equalling 22nd Grand Slam title will continue on Friday when he takes on Tommy Paul.
Friday’s semi-final will be the first meeting between the two players.
