.
Djokovic-Paul, huge imbalance
Djokovic aims at 35 for a tenth final in Melbourne, a tenth title (record), a 22nd trophy in a Major.
Absent last year, he remains on a streak of 26 won matches in the tournament since his defeat in the round of 16 in 2018, and has lost only one set since the start of the 2023 edition. He plays the tournament as world No.5, but a final victory would allow him to regain the top of the hierarchy.
Opposite, Paul plays at 25 his first half in Grand Slam, a category of tournaments where he had never reached the quarters until then.
He played in the round of 16 once, last year at Wimbledon and had reached, at best, the third round in Melbourne, in 2020 for his first appearance.
So he seems to be living a waking dream: "I might have a better chance against Rublev, but playing Novak here in Australia would be wonderful," he said on Wednesday before knowing his next opponent.
The American, 35th in the world in Melbourne, will enter the world Top 20 for the first time on Monday.
Tommy Paul in the Australian Open quarter-finals against Ben Shelton on January 25, 2023 in Melbourne © ANTHONY WALLACE / AFP
Suffice to say that on paper, the match leans frankly in favor of the Serb.
An unknown remains, on which Djokovic's previous opponents have counted: the state of his left thigh which has been causing him pain for two weeks.
On the edge of the abyss in the second and third rounds, respectively against the modest Frenchman Enzo Couacaud (191st) to whom he gave up a set, then to the experienced Grigor Dimitrov (28th) whom he nevertheless dominated in three rounds, he is then shown to be perfectly untouchable against Alex De Minaur (24th) and Andrey Rublev (6th).
"It's a signal sent to my opponents," he also commented on Wednesday evening after qualifying for the last four.
Paul, the first American to reach the semis in Melbourne since Andy Roddick in 2009, has been warned.
.
Khachanov-Tsitsipas, explosive
One, the Russian, regains his best level and goes on to a second Major semi-final after his first, last September at the US Open.
The other, the Greek, will play his fourth half in Melbourne, the third in a row, and has already played a final of a Grand Slam tournament, at Roland-Garros in 2021.
Stefanos Tsitsipas in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open against Jiri Lehecka on January 25, 2023 in Melbourne © Paul CROCK / AFP
Both display both confidence and ambition.
"My first half at the US Open gave me extra energy and extra confidence to show who I really am and what I'm capable of when I'm at my best," said Khachanov, 20th in the world. at 26 years old.
Unlike Flushing Meadows where he was exhausted arriving in the semis against Casper Ruud, this time he will be in "better shape", he assured.
He won his best title at the Masters 1000 in Paris in 2018 (which remains his last title on the circuit to this day) and reached eighth place in the world in 2019.
On Friday, opposite, he will have the 4th player in the world, who has never felt so capable of winning a major title.
"I'm absolutely happy with the way I've been playing so far. I can't wait to play more and better. Looking forward to some new magical experiences here in Australia," Tsitsipas said after his three-set quarter-final win. against the Czech Jiri Lehecka (71st), seed cutter this year with three of them to his credit (Coric, Norrie and Auger-Aliassime).
Tsitsipas, double winner of the Masters 1000 in Monte-Carlo (2021 and 2022), has been hovering around a Major title for several seasons, but he has always burned his wings so far.
This time it's different, he says.
"I'm very happy with my tennis. It's been a long time since I felt so good about my game. I'm a different player, I play differently, my mentality is different," he said. warned.
Karen Khachanov in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open against Sebastian Korda on January 24, 2023 in Melbourne © DAVID GRAY / AFP
With the huge Greek community living in Australia, Tsitsipas will have the advantage of having the public behind him.
© 2023 AFP