MELBOURNE, Australia — Jannik Sinner ended one of Novak Djokovic’s perfect streaks in an Australian Open upset, then got to relax while Daniil Medvedev rallied from two sets down to beat Alexander Zverev after midnight and complete the men’s singles final pairing at Melbourne Park.
Just about everything went the self-described tennis fan’s way in Friday’s semifinals.
The 22-year-old Italian broke Djokovic’s serve twice in each of the first two sets in a surprisingly lopsided 6-1, 6-2, 6-7 (6), 6-3 victory that ended the 10-time Australian Open champion’s unbeaten streak in the semifinals at this tournament.
Djokovic, No. 1 in the ATP Tour rankings, had won 33 consecutive matches in the event since 2018, and he had never lost after reaching the final four in Melbourne.
Almost an hour after saving a match point, that phenomenal sequence was over. The fourth-seeded Sinner converted his second match point to complete a third win in four head-to-head pairings since losing to Djokovic in last year’s Wimbledon semifinals.