Stefanos Tsitsipas overcame a third set blip to become only the eighth active male player to reach the final of the Australian Open.
The world No.4 was forced to dig deep throughout his 7-6(2), 6-4, 6-7(6),6-3, win over Karen Khachanov who was contesting his second Grand Slam semi-final after last year’s US Open. Tsitsipas’ victory has made him the youngest man to reach the final in Melbourne Park since Novak Djokovic in 2011. He has now won six out of his past nine matches against top 20 players on the Tour.
Tsitsipas’ latest performance was far from straightforward with Khachanov proving problematic at the crucial moments of the match. Overall, he fired 18 aces and blasted 66 winners en route to his latest victory, breaking his opponent five times in the match. The triumph is yet another historic moment for Tsitsipas who has become the first Greek player to reach a singles final at Melbourne Park.
“I watched Marcos Baghdatis a couple of years ago being in the finals, playing on this court so I dreamed as a kid to maybe one day to get to play on this court and compete with the best players in the world,” Tsitsipas recounted during his on-court interview.
“It brings back memories of being a kid and watching it on TV and cheering him on. Unfortunately it didn’t go his way but he’s in our hearts and he is one of my favourite players.
“I feel blessed for the fact I am able to play tennis at this level. I have wanted to put Greek tennis on the map and me and Maria [Sakkari] have done that.
“Coming from a small country like Greece I am so grateful I get support like this. I would never have thought I would have been treated so well here. I am in the final now, let’s see what happens.”
The 24-year-old looked to be on the verge of a straightforward victory after battling to a two sets and 5-3 lead in the match. However, Khachanov refused to go down without a fight as the Russian produced some inspired tennis. The world No.20 broke back to level the third set at 5-5 before saving two match points in the tiebreaker with a duo of thunderous forehand winners. A couple of points later, Khachanov sealed the third frame with the help of an unforced error from across the court.
Eager to restore his foothold in the match, Tsitsipas left the court for a toilet break before returning guns blazing. A three-game winning streak in his favour at the start of the fourth set enabled the Greek to regain control of proceedings in what was a huge blow for Khachanov who has now lost 14 matches in a row against top 5 players on the Tour.
Serving once again for the victory after three hours and 20 minutes of play, Tsitsipas stormed to another three match points. He prevailed on his second by hitting a serve wide that Khachanov returned out.
“I thought how hard I’ve worked to get in this position. If you stick around and dedicate yourself even more it pays off quite well.” He commented on how he managed to close the match out.
Friday’s victory extends Tsitsipas’ perfect record against Khachanov to 6-0. He will next play either Djokovic or Tommy Paul in the final. He trails Djokovic 2-10 in their head-to-head but has won all three of his previous meetings against Paul.
Tsitsipas will be seeking to win his first Grand Slam title in the final on Sunday. Should he do so, he would also become world No.1 for the first time in his career next week.
“I like that number,” he said with a smile. “These are the moments I am working hard for to be able to play in finals like this. It’s a Grand Slam final and I am fighting for that number one spot. It’s a childhood dream. I am close and I am happy that this is coming in Australia, a place of significance for me. Let’s do it guys, let’s go.”
