Australian Open 2024 results: Novak Djokovic beats Taylor Fritz to reach semi-finals

Novak Djokovic maintained his pursuit to win an unprecedented 11th Australian Open championship by triumphing over American player Taylor Fritz, who was seeded 12th, with great poise and assurance.

The individual from Serbia is searching for their 25th significant title to surpass Margaret Court's record of 24 Grand Slams. They were victorious in a match that lasted four sets, winning with a score of 7-6 (7-3) 4-6 6-2 6-3 under scorching hot weather. This triumph now enables them to proceed to the semi-finals.

The number one player Djokovic, who is 36 years old, has been victorious in his previous 33 individual matches in Melbourne Park.

He is set to compete against either the fourth-seeded Italian player called Jannik Sinner or the fifth-seeded Russian player named Andrey Rublev for the opportunity to advance to the final round.

It's not probable that their quarter-final match will end until the wee hours of Wednesday morning because the night session has been postponed to 9:00 pm local time.

The ladies' quarter-finals match between Coco Gauff and Marta Kostyuk lasted for over three hours on Rod Laver Arena, with the singles matches not commencing until 1 pm. Later on, Djokovic spent nearly four hours battling it out against Fritz to secure his win.

Sinner and Rublev can't start playing yet because they need to wait for Aryna Sabalenka, the defending women's champion, to finish her match against Barbora Krejcikova.

The men's semi-finals are scheduled for Friday, giving them an additional day to recuperate.

Djokovic referred to the Australian Open as his "second home" due to his long-standing supremacy at the tournament. He showcased his exceptional skill once more as he defeated a young opponent on the Rod Laver Arena.

This triumph signifies that the Serbian athlete has not lost a match in Melbourne since losing in the fourth round to South Korea's Chung Hyeon back in 2018.

The game began at around 5:00 PM in hot weather of 31C. Djokovic effortlessly made eight opportunities to break in the first set, however, he began to feel more and more agitated as he failed to capitalize on any of them.

The athlete with 24 major titles appeared to be experiencing heat exhaustion, frequently utilizing ice towels and communicating loudly with his squad. He was nearly reprimanded when his opponent, who is 26 years old, produced two opportunities to win a set by executing a remarkable forehand shot that went down the side of the court.

Although Djokovic had a difficult moment, he managed to regain control and save his lost points. This allowed him to create an opportunity for himself to win in the tie-break and further increase his lead over Rafael Nadal as the top winner of Grand Slam titles for men.

With Fritz missing an easy volley to score the first point, Djokovic quickly took control of the game and finished the first set in just over an hour and twenty minutes.

The person from America, who had previously been defeated in all eight encounters with Djokovic, showed great courage and determination.

Fritz was able to even up the game by breaking the serve during the first game of the second set. Despite facing seven other break points, he managed to defend his position.

Fritz encountered a problem with his foot which hindered his performance, while Djokovic appeared to be in top form as the temperature dropped. Djokovic managed to secure two breaks and ultimately won the third set.

Having full authority over the game, Djokovic was not faced with much stress while serving. When he secured a break at 4-2 in the fourth set, it seemed like the match was drawing to a close.

Fritz made a comeback by winning a point against Djokovic's serve, but Djokovic managed to break Fritz's serve once more. Djokovic finished strong by winning the game.

Djokovic stated that he had a low success rate with converting break points; however, he was able to make a crucial break in the third and fourth sets to win the match.

I improved my performance starting from approximately the middle of the third set until the conclusion of the match.