Tsitsipas after defeating Khachanov in the Melbourne final

The 24-year-old Greek defeated the Russian Karen Khachanov 7:6(2),6:4,6:7(6),6:3 in the Rod Laver Arena on Friday and thus lived up to his role as favourite. Novak Djokovic or outsider Tommy Paul are waiting in the final.

In contrast to the defeats against the Spaniard Rafael Nadal (2019) and the Russian Daniil Medvedev (2021, 2022), the game for Tsitsipas in the round of four ended as desired this time. The 26-year-old Khachanov remains a “favorite opponent” of the fourth in the world rankings, who has a “clean slate” even after the sixth direct duel. For Tsitsipas it is the second final participation in a major after the French Open 2021, where it suffered a bitter 7: 6 (2), 6: 2, 3: 6, 2: 6, 4: 6 defeat against Djokovic.

At 24 years and 170 days, he is the youngest male finalist at Melbourne Park in 12 years. Should Tsitsipas win, he would not only celebrate his first Grand Slam triumph, but also take the lead in the world rankings. “I like that number. These are the moments I’ve worked so hard for. It’s great not only to be playing for a title, but also to have the opportunity to be at the top of an entire sport’s rankings,” he said Tsitsipas.

Tsitsipas awards match points in the third set

The two players presented themselves absolutely at eye level in the first set. Tsitsipas made two breaks to make it 3: 1 and 5: 3, but the Russian was always able to reply immediately. As a result, the decision had to be made in the tie-break, where Khachanov made too many unforced errors. The second round was also balanced for a long time before Tsitsipas made it 5: 4 with the only break and then served to zero.

In the third set, Chatschanow showed great fighting qualities, used his first break chance to make it 5: 5 thanks to a smash by Tsitsipas out and fought his way into the tie-break, where he bravely fended off two match points and then was able to use his first set point. But that was not enough for the turnaround, as Tsitsipas was not deterred by the loss of the second set in the tournament and ended the match after 3:21 hours with his fourth match point.

“Years ago I saw Marcos Baghdatis play here in the final and dreamed of making it one day. I’m extremely happy that I’m in the final now,” said Tsitsipas, who clearly had the audience on his side.

He wants to do better than the Cypriot Baghdatis in 2006, who lost four sets to Swiss Roger Federer. As at the US Open 2022, Khachanov lost in the semi-finals and missed his first major final, but will advance to 13th position in the ranking.