- Greek world No 4 prevails 7-6 (2), 6-4, 6-7 (6), 6-3
- ‘These are the moments I’ve been working hard for’
To a sea of Greek flags and their holders chanting his name, next gen’s nearly man did what he has not quite a few times before. Since 2019 when, right here at Melbourne Park, Stefanos Tsitsipas upset Roger Federer en route to his first grand slam semi-final, he has made the semis four times. Three of those came at the Australian Open, his self-described “home slam”, but it was only the 2021 French Open at which he took the next step, before losing the final to Novak Djokovic after giving up a two-set lead.
As of Friday the 24-year-old can lay claim to two deciders, after arm-wrestling Karen Khachanov into submission for a 7-6 (2), 6-4, 6-7 (6), 6-3, a victory he has dreamed of since watching Marcos Baghdatis in his 2006 Australian Open final loss to Federer on television as a child.