Sinner, Djokovic to meet in Australian Open semifinal as world No.2 Swiatek flames out

MELBOURNE, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- World number two Jannik Sinner's next step towards a third straight Australian Open title will go through a fortunate Novak Djokovic, while world No.2 Iga Swiatek crashed out after a quarterfinal capitulation against Elena Rybakina on Wednesday.

Quarterfinal action wrapped up in much cooler conditions compared to the heatwave that had scorched Melbourne on Tuesday.

Sinner, a four-time Grand Slam champion, defeated American eighth seed Ben Shelton 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 to record his 19th straight victory at Melbourne Park.

Sinner hit 33 winners and his consistency ensured Shelton made more than double the number of unforced errors.

After two hours and 23 minutes, Sinner held his arms aloft in steely celebration as he locked in a fifth Grand Slam semifinal against 38-year-old Djokovic.

"We are still lucky to have Novak here playing incredible tennis at his age. Hopefully, it will be a great battle," Sinner said.

Another salivating semifinal at Rod Laver Arena awaits, after the Italian had usurped 10-time tournament winner Djokovic in 2024.

Fourth seed Djokovic was extremely lucky to move forward after fifth-seeded Lorenzo Musetti retired hurt when leading by two sets.

The Italian was headed for the biggest win of his career after rolling to a 6-4, 6-3 lead before severely struggling with an injury to his upper right leg.

He battled on but was severely limited with his movement before pulling the pin at 1-3 in the third set.

Just before the dramatic turn of events, Djokovic needed a medical timeout after the second set and had his right foot strapped up due to a blister.

"I feel really sorry for him. He was a far better player, I was on my way home," said Djokovic, who also had a walkover in the fourth round after 16th seed Jakub Mensik pulled out injured.

"These things happen in sport. It's so unfortunate. He should have been a winner today."

The 23-year-old Italian became the first player in the professional era to retire in a major quarterfinal after winning the first two sets.

"I felt it at the beginning of the second set. I felt there was something strange in my right leg," he said.

"I continued to play because I was playing really, really, really well, but I was feeling the pain increasing, and the problem was not going away.

"To be forced to retire, it is something that, of course. It's really painful."

In the women's draw, six-time Grand Slam champion Swiatek will have to wait longer for an elusive Australian Open title after falling well short against Rybakina.

The 2022 Wimbledon champion was all over her slumping opponent and thoroughly deserved her 7-5, 6-1 victory in one hour and 35 minutes.

While Swiatek could never get going in Melbourne, Rybakina has been near flawless and will enter the semifinals having not dropped a set.

"Really pleased with the win. We know each other pretty well and I was trying to stay aggressive," Kazakhstan's Rybakina said.

Rybakina will face a similarly in-form Jessica Pegula, who strolled to a comfortable 6-2, 7-6 (1) win over Amanda Anisimova in an all-American quarterfinal.

The 2024 US Open finalist remains on track for an elusive Grand Slam triumph after hitting 20 winners and she has also not dropped a set in the tournament.

It was the end of the road for fourth-seeded Anisimova, who was unable to reach a third straight grand slam final.

She could not rediscover the clean ball striking that was a feature of her fourth round victory over China's Wang Xinyu.

"It's awesome. I've been able to go deep in the US Open, but I feel like I play well here and I like the conditions," Pegula said.

Women's semifinal action will be held on Thursday, with top seed Aryna Sabalenka squaring off against 12th seed Elina Svitolina before the late night match between Rybakina and Pegula at Rod Laver Arena.

China's Zhang Shuai and Elise Mertens of Belgium, the fourth seeds, feature in the women's doubles semifinals.  ■