Australian Open: Impressive Stefanos Tsitsipas to face Khachanov in semis

Stefanos Tsitsipas sealed his first Grand Slam title by reaching the semi-finals of the Australian Open on Tuesday in impressive fashion, as Victoria Azarenka also made it to the last four.

Tsitsipas won 6-3, 7-6 (7/2), 6-4 against unseeded Jiri Lehecka of the Czech Republic and will next face Karen Khachanov.

The 24-year-old Tsitsipas is the top seed remaining in three years and with Melbourne’s large Greek community roaring, his title is on the rise.

“I feel good with my tennis. I don’t think it’s been a long time since I’ve felt bad,” said Tsitsipas, after reaching the Australian Open semifinals for the fourth time.

“I’m a different player, I play differently. My mentality is different.”

Tsitsipas, who will be number one in the world if he wins the title, was quite in control throughout against the 71st ranked Lehecka.

But he lost his cool at one point in the third set, smacking the ball into the wall after losing a point as the ball boy went to collect it nearby.

“What I did, I definitely don’t like it. I shouldn’t have done that,” said Tsitsipas about the incident.

Another quarter-final at the Rod Laver Arena between Russia’s Khachanov and Sebastian Korda has heated up to the point where the American has wrist pain.

The 18th seed escaped when Korda retired in the third set, losing 7-6 (7/5), 6-3, 3-0.

Korda, 22, who is trying to emulate his father Petr’s Australian Open victory in 1998, said he could barely hold the racket.

He said he first felt the injury while playing at the Adelaide International this month, where he made the final and forced the championship point before being beaten by Novak Djokovic.

But it didn’t bother him in the opening four rounds at Melbourne Park until he managed to come back in the second set.

“Volleying is almost impossible for me, so it’s a bit difficult,” he said.

For Khachanov, this is his second consecutive Grand Slam semifinal, after reaching the last four at the 2022 US Open.

Nine-time Melbourne champion Djokovic is still on the stage, with a quarter-final against Russian fifth seed Andrey Rublev on Wednesday.

The other quarterfinal was an all-American matchup between Ben Shelton and Tommy Paul.

‘that’s my weapon’

Azarenka is back in the last four in Melbourne for the first time since winning the tournament in 2013 and will face Elena Rybakina.

Belarus’ Azarenka, who also won in 2012, had a stunning straight-sets victory over Jessica Pegula.

Third seed Pegula was expected to win, but the American simply had no answer to Azarenka’s forehand.

Azarenka, 33, repeated the years in a shocking quarter-final to win 6-4, 6-1.

“Well, it hurts to beat him because I always wish him well,” the 24-seed said of Pegula, his close friend and training partner.

Asked how her young son Leo will receive his mother’s latest achievement, Azarenka said: “He is more worried about football and when we will play again.

“He always wanted his mom to come home.”

Leo will have to wait at least a few days as Azarenka faces Moscow-born Kazakh Rybakina on Thursday for a place in the final.

Rybakina stormed into the semifinals with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Jelena Ostapenko.

Rybakina, 23, sent down 11 aces to blow former French Open champion Ostapenko off the court in the 79th minute.

The 22nd seed has hit 35 aces so far, more than any other woman in the tournament.

Ominously, he said his serve was better than when he won Wimbledon last year.

“I got more power. It’s my weapon on the field and that’s what we’re trying to do,” he said.

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