Stéfanos Tsitsipás reached the final of a Grand Slam tournament for the second time in his career on Friday. The 24-year-old Greek was a size too big for Karen Khachanov in the semi-final of the Australian Open.
Tsitsipás, who failed three times in the semifinals in Melbourne, left the court after four sets as the winner. The number three on the placement list defeated the eighteenth ranked Russian 7-6 (2), 6-4, 6-7 (6) and 6-3.
It looked like Tsitsipás would get the job done in three sets, but he was broken when he served for the win in the third set from a 5-4 lead. In the tiebreak that followed, the Greek missed two match points.
Tsitsipás still made the difference in the fourth set, which means that he will be in a Grand Slam final again after 2021. At the time, he had to leave the title in Paris to Novak Djokovic.
He may meet Djokovic again this time. The Serbian will face American Tommy Paul in the other semi-final later on Friday. Djokovic is chasing his 22nd Grand Slam title in Melbourne, which would equal Rafael Nadal.
If the Australian Open final is between Tsitsipás and Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz will lose his leading position in the world rankings. The winner of the tournament may then call himself the new number one in the world from Monday.
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