Australian Open: Novak Djokovic Is Into Ninth Final In Melbourne

 

Novak Djokovic is into his ninth Australian Open final and that took less than two hours to ensure he yanked off Russian opponent Aslan Karatsev off his back in straight sets. 

The top-seeded player outclassed his opponent in a three-setter 6-3 6-4 6-2 serving 17 aces, won 6-in-7 break advantages, and struck 30 winners. He was in control of the pace of the games such that he only had one unforced error. 

"I'm just very pleased with the performance," said Djokovic. "It came at the right time, before [the] last match in a Grand Slam." 

Meanwhile, Karatsev showed some level of brilliance in the opener by winning four straight games to trail Djokovic by 3-2 and was soon shoved behind by the defending champion who claimed the set after he made three straight unforced errors. 

Overall, the Russian ace made 30 unforced errors hitting 24 winners, yet he was glad to play against a world champion like Djokovic. He said, "It's a good experience. To play against Novak helps me to get experience."

Novak will play in the final the winner between Stefanos Tsitsipas and Daniil Medvedev which will be both players' seventh head-to-head ATP series.