The 3rd seed Stefanos Tsitsipas will compete in the Australian Open final. Stefanos took down Karen Khachanov 7-6, 6-4, 6-7, 6-3 in three hours and 21 minutes for a place in his second Major final. Thus, the Greek became the tenth active player with multiple Major finals, moving a win away from the biggest title of his career and the ATP throne! Tsitsipas remained perfect against Khachanov after beating him for the sixth time in as many duels. The Russian came from 5-3 down in the third set and fended off two match points to extend the battle and his chances. However, Stefanos started all over in the fourth set to seal the deal and set the title clash against Novak Djokovic or Tommy Paul. Tsitsipas fired 18 aces and had the upper hand with his first serve. He landed 66 winners and 34 unforced errors to control the pace and overpower the opponent.
Stefanos Tsitsipas will chase his first Major title on Sunday.
Karen converted three out of four break chances, although it was not enough to force a decider. Tsitsipas earned five return games from 12 opportunities to emerge at the top and remain on the title course. The Greek had the upper hand in the shortest and mid-range rallies, taming his strokes nicely and extending his incredible run in Melbourne. The rivals traded breaks in the opener’s games four and five, and Khachanov held at love for 3-3. The Russian wasted a game point at 3-4 and experienced a break to fall behind. Stefanos served for the opener at 5-3 and suffered a break that extended the set. They went into a tie break following three comfortable holds, and Tsitsipas held everything under control and clinched it 7-2.
The Greek served well in the second set and kept the pressure on the other side. Khachanov survived the third game before Tsitsipas broke him at 4-4. The better-ranked player held at love in game ten to forge two sets to love advantage and move closer to the finish line. Stefanos stole the rival’s serve in the third set’s third game and built a 5-3 advantage. The Greek served for the victory in game ten and got broken in the worst moment, just like in the opener. Stefanos created two set points at 6-4 in the tie break, and Karen fended them off to prolong the battle. The Russian rattled off four straight points to steal the breaker 8-6 and force the fourth set. Tsitsipas made a fresh start and served well. Also, he grabbed an early break in game two and produced one good hold after another to emerge at the top in the ninth game and enter the final.