Djokovic is in the final of the Australian Open for the ninth time

Icon: enlarge

Novak Djokovic

Photo: 

BRANDON MALONE / AFP

Novak Djokovic has finished the tennis fairy tale of Aslan Karazew confidently and can crown his special Australian Open history with the ninth title.

Last year's winner from Serbia gave his Russian semi-final opponent in Melbourne no chance at 6: 3, 6: 4, 6: 2 and was the first player to reach the men's final.

There Djokovic will meet the Russian Grand Slam title contender Daniil Medvedev or the Greek world number sixth Stefanos Tsitsipas on Sunday, who will play against each other on Friday (9.30 a.m. live ticker SPIEGEL.de; TV: Eurosport).

With his 18th Grand Slam title, Djokovic wants to shorten the gap to the Swiss Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal from Spain (20 each) to two each.

Against Karazew - number 114 in the world rankings - Djokovic had significantly fewer problems than two days earlier in the quarter-final victory over Alexander Zverev.

In less than two hours, when the fans returned to the Rod Laver Arena after the five-day lockdown, the 33-year-old made his ninth place in the final of the first Grand Slam tournament of the season.

Djokovic only wobbled briefly in the second set when he was 5: 1 ahead, but let the outsider come up to 5: 4 again.

The top favorite opened the third round with a break.

Although he had to accept the equalizer to make it 2-2, he immediately took the lead again and left Karazew no more game.

Karazew had previously caused a sensation because he became the first player in the history of professional tennis to reach the semifinals on his Grand Slam debut.

The 27-year-old had only secured a place in the main field through qualification.

Icon: The mirror

ara / dpa