Australian Open live: Alcaraz reveals keys to breakthrough win after masterclass

Bolstered by tennis legend Novak Djokovic’s playing tips, Eva Jovic’s impressive run at the Australian Open came to an end on Tuesday when she was defeated by top seed Aryna Sabalenka.

The 18-year-old American lost 3-6, 0-6 in the quarter-finals at Melbourne Park.

Despite the defeat, Jovic expressed his immense gratitude to the Serbian star for his guidance. The Serbian star has 24 Grand Slam singles titles, 10 of which were won in Australia.

The track player spectacularly showcased his emerging talent in his first Grand Slam quarter-final, ultimately losing to Alexander Zverev at the Australian Open.

The 20-year-old American had originally aimed to become the youngest player to reach the Melbourne semi-finals in 34 years, but third-seeded Zverev advanced to his 10th Grand Slam semi-final with a 6-3 6-7(5) 6-1 7-6(3) victory.

Zverev was impressed by the quality of his opponent, saying: “The performance of the baseline learner is unbelievable. I don’t think I have played against anyone who is so good at the baseline in a long time.”

“I don’t know what Zhang Depei did in the offseason, but it was incredible. Without my 20-plus aces, I probably wouldn’t have won today.”

Coco Gauff is frustrated with the lack of privacy at the Australian Open after she was caught on camera behind the scenes smashing her racket after her shock loss to Elina Svitolina in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open.

A similar incident occurred in 2023 after Gauff defeated Aryna Sabalenka in the US Open final, with Judy Murray criticizing training room footage of Sabalenka breaking her racket after losing the match.

“I was trying to go to a place where there were no cameras,” Goff said after the failure.

“I’m interested in radio. I feel like certain moments – The same thing happened to Elena after I played her in the U.S. Open final – I don’t think they need to broadcast it. ”

Elina Svitolina knocked Coco Gauff out of the Australian Open and set up a semi-final showdown with world number one Aryna Sabalenka when the American’s serve collapsed in brutal fashion.

Ukrainian 12th seed Svitolina defeated Gauff 6-1, 6-2 in just 59 minutes to reach the Australian Open semi-finals for the first time, but her direct counterattack caused Gauff’s game to malfunction.

The 21-year-old double-faulted five times in the first set and didn’t hold serve until the sixth game. As Gauff improved, Svitolina once scored 12 points in the second set.

The French Open champion looked frustrated as her mistakes kept piling up and unless she fought back from 3-0 down in the second set, the score could have been much worse.

Sinner battled physical difficulties in the sweltering heat to extend his winning streak in Melbourne to 18 matches, including a semi-final victory over Shelton that year.

The American eighth seed believes he is a different player now. The left-hander has been in dangerous form, beating Casper Ruud in his last outing, but the 23-year-old has struggled against Sinner.

Sinner defeated Shelton 7-6 (7-2) 6-2 6-2 last year and will be looking to match the pace of rival Carlos Alcaraz after reaching his first Australian Open semi-final.

The winner of Sinner’s and Shelton’s match will face either Novak Djokovic or Lorenzo Musetti in Friday’s semifinals.

Djokovic reached all four semifinals at the Grand Slam last year, when he was 38, only to suffer an injury, either to Janik Sinner or Carlos Alcaraz.

His recent quest for a 25th Grand Slam title was aided by a fourth-round defeat that saw Jakub Mencic withdraw from the tournament due to injury.

It will be a stern test for Lorenzo Musetti as he reaches his first Australian Open semi-final, but Djokovic won their last meeting in an epic three-hour Athens final late last year.

Musetti has won just one of 10 matches at Melbourne Park against Djokovic, a 10-time champion.

“I can say the U.S. Open is at a higher level than where I’m playing now, but it’s very close. Yeah, I think it’s very close. We can talk about it.

“I’ll let people talk about it and say which level is the best, the U.S. Open or this level. I would say that with the level I’ve served at, and the way I’ve done everything I’ve done in the U.S. Open, for me, I think it’s unmatched.

“But I’m happy. I’m proud of how I performed here.”

So, does Alcaraz need to use any other equipment?

“This is my first official game of the year. For me, sometimes I’m not that patient. In the first game, I really wanted to play my best. It’s almost impossible. You have to find the rhythm of the game again.”

“I left the court in the first round feeling happy with my level and how I felt on the court. My team told me to be patient. Your level, the level you want to play at, will definitely come. You have to keep working hard and keep pushing yourself and you will get to where you want to be.

“I think it’s been a great job so far and it’s been patient, trying, pushing myself and it’s great to see where I’m at now.”

1. Elena Rybakina (Kazakhstan) [5] vs. Iga Swiatek (Poland) [2]
2. Jessica Pegula (USA) [6] vs. Amanda Anisimova (USA) [4]
3. Lorenzo Musetti (Italy) [5] vs. Novak Djokovic (SRB) [4]

1. Ben Shelton (USA) [8] vs. Jannik Sinner (ITA) [2]