Stefanos Tsitsipas
, 4th in the ATP ranking, managed this Friday to reach his first final at the
Australian Open
after beating Russian
Karen Khachanov
(20th) 7-6 (2), 6- 4, 6-7 (8) and 6-3.
Seeking to
win his first Grand Slam and become number one in the world
, today in the hands of Carlos Alcaraz, out of the tournament due to injury, the Greek will face off in the final clash against the winner of the match between the Serbian
Novak Djokovic
( 5th) and the American
Tommy Paul
(35th).
Very solid throughout his career in Melbourne, Tsitsipas had to simmer the match against an opponent who had already reached the semifinals of the US Open, but against whom he had won his previous five matches.
Stefanos Tsitsipas and Khachanov at the Australian Open.
Photo DAVID GRAY / AFP.
Without finding his best serve and penalized for fouls for exceeding time or stepping on the line during service, the Greek had a hard time tipping the match in his favor and even had to pull himself together in a fourth set after wasting two match points.
However, he managed to keep the game without major complications.
At 24 years old, the Greek will seek his first Grand Slam on Sunday, after the Roland Garros final lost in 2021 against Djokovic.
"
It's a childhood dream to get to that number one
," he gushed at Rod Laver Arena.
Australian Open: Stefanos Tsitsipas beat Karen Khachanov and reached the final in search of his first Grand Slam.
EFE/EPA/JOEL CARRETT.
And he completed: "These are the moments for which I have been working hard, to play finals like this, finals that have a greater meaning. Not just a final, but a Grand Slam final."
I feel lucky to be able to play tennis at this level.
Maria (Sakkari) and I have done a great job because it is not easy to come from a small country like Greece.
I am very grateful for receiving this support, she closed, alluding to an audience that is always unconditional with Tsitsipas, thanks to the extensive Greek community that lives in Melbourne.
Now he only expects a rival in the final.
In case of facing the North American, the record favors him: he beat him the three times he played.
However, the picture is different with Djokovic: the Greek accumulates ten defeats and just two victories (Masters 1000 of Canada 2018 and Shanghai 2019).
With information from AFP.
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