Australian Open: Novak Djokovic surges into 10th final

The Serbian fourth seed overcame an early wobble to romp past unseeded American Tommy Paul 7-5, 6-1, 6-2 on Rod Laver Arena in style

A rampant Novak Djokovic surged into a 10th Australian Open final on Friday to close in on a record-equalling 22nd Grand Slam crown, with only Stefanos Tsitsipas now standing in his way. The Serbian fourth seed overcame an early wobble to romp past unseeded American Tommy Paul 7-5, 6-1, 6-2 on Rod Laver Arena in style. 

Another title on Sunday will move him alongside Rafael Nadal with 22 Slam wins and see the 35-year-old return to World No.1 for the first time since last June. Greek third seed Tsitsipas, who ground past Russian 18th seed Karen Khachanov 7-6 (7/2), 6-4, 6-7 (6/8), 6-3 in the other semi-final, can also become the top-ranked player should he lift the trophy. 

Also Read: Novak Djokovic dad to stay away from Australian Open semifinal

Djokovic played the clash without father Srdjan courtside after he was filmed posing with a man holding a Russian flag featuring Vladimir Putin’s face following his son’s quarter-final win on Wednesday. The incident sparked a backlash from Ukraine and led to calls for Djokovic’s father to be banned from the tournament. Srdjan issued a statement ahead of the semis  saying he would stay away. 

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