Stefanos Tsitsipas is through to his third Australian Open semi-final after cruising to a straight-sets win over Italian No.11 seed Jannik Sinner.
Tsitsipas took out the first set before a rain delay threatened to halt his momentum. However, after a 21-minute delay, the Greek No.4 seed went to a frightening new level before securing a 6-3 6-4 6-2 win on Rod Laver Arena.
The demolition job took just two hours and six minutes, with Australian tennis icon Todd Woodbridge calling the performance a “real statement” from the Greek star.
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“Everything was in order,” Woodbridge said on Nine’s coverage.
“Jannik Sinner will look back and say, ‘what could I have done better? Not too much today’. The match was taken out of his hands at the very beginning of his opening service game. Stefanos Tsitsipas never let him play at all.”
After taking the first set 6-3, Woodbridge said Tsitsipas was “bullying” Sinner as he commanded control of the contest.
“(Sinner) hasn’t dropped a point yet when he lands that first serve. It’s going to be huge for him,” Todd Woodbridge said.
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“Because when Tsitsipas gets a look at a second like this, he’s been bullying Sinner around the court.”
Davis Cup legend Sam Groth later echoed Woodbridge’s sentiment after the match.
“He did it with authority today, didn’t he?” Groth said.
“He came out red-hot, broke early right from the get-go, handled the conditions better when the roof was open, when the roof was closed. I actually think he got better towards the end of the match.
“He bullied him around the court in this one, that’s for sure. That’s as good as I’ve seen Tsitsipas in quite a long time. He went to another level tonight.”
Tsitsipas looked uncomfortable in his fourth-round win against Taylor Fritz two days ago, but played with a lot more freedom today.
The Greek star secured an early break in the second, just as the rain began to fall over Melbourne Park causing a 21-minute delay to allow the roof to be shut.
Sinner looked to have lifted after the pair returned to the court, but Tsitsipas shut down any swing in momentum following the sudden change in conditions, holding his break to claim the second set 6-4.
Speaking on-court, Tsitsipas said you can never expect what the weather is going to bring.
“I knew I was heading towards the right direction with the game that I managed to create from the very beginning of the match,” he said.
“The conditions might have changed a little bit after the roof was closed – slightly faster, not as bouncy as before – so I tried to adapt to the conditions and it just worked.”
After securing another double-break in the third set, Tsitipas cruised to a 6-2 victory and clinched the match.
“There is no doubt that this is the best we’ve seen from Tsitsipas for a long time,” Woodbridge said.
“It might be the best we’ve seen since the French (Open). The quality of ball-striking and the way he’s managed the match is exceptional.”
Talking with Jim Courier post-match, Tsitipas discussed his elbow injury and how it disrupted his off-season.
“Well I’m pretty sure my doctor is watching now, he has been sending me texts after every single game,” he said with a smile.
“We both didn’t expect to participate in the Australian Open, it was not part of our plan.
“He certainly told me, ‘I don’t see you playing in the Australian Open’ but I proved him wrong.
“… I’m happy I found the right person to bring me back even stronger.”
Tsitsipas later shared more about his doctor’s prognosis in his press conference.
“Dr Frank spoke from experience that he had with other players that he treated and put that into consideration. He was kind of surprised,” he told the media.
“My healing process was faster than he would have expected, and he (Dr Frank) was – I don’t know. He was probably telling me this to push me a little bit more without me realizing that.
“I don’t know what his intentions were, but he wasn’t thinking too big. He was humble.”
Tsitipas will now now face the winner of Felix Auger-Aliassime vs Daniil Medvedev in the semi-finals.
