Daniil Medvedev will try to make it to his second consecutive Australian Open final when he battles No. 4 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in the semifinals on Friday.
FanDuel Sportsbook lists Medvedev as a -240 favorite over Tsitsipas (+198), and a -110 pick to win the Australian Open men’s title.
Medvedev survives test from Auger-Aliassime
Medvedev needed five sets to overcome Felix Auger-Aliassime on Wednesday. The Canadian took the first two sets before Medvedev rallied back to win 6-7 (7-4), 3-6, 7-6 (7-2), 7-5, 6-4.
Medvedev saved one set point in the fourth set before finally overcoming Auger-Aliassime.
“He was playing insane, like better than I have ever seen him play,†Medvedev said afterwards. “So third set I had zero confidence in myself and in the outcome of the match.â€
Tsitsipas enjoyed a much easier quarterfinal, beating Jannik Sinner in straight sets. The No. 4 seed defeated his Italian opponent 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 to reach his third Australian Open semifinal.
“I knew I was going on the court facing a very good player, so I stayed intact,†Tsitsipas said after his win. “I tried to focus on my best shots and it paid off more than I thought. I’m very happy with the way I served today and the way I tried to come in and use my tactics.â€
Nadal seeks second Australian Open title
In the other Australian Open semifinal, Rafael Nadal will face off against Matteo Berrettini. Historically, Nadal has enjoyed less success in Melbourne than at any other major: he’s only won the tournament once, back in 2009, though this is his seventh semifinals appearance.
Nadal can break his tie with Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer by winning his 21st Grand Slam title this weekend. But he must win two more tough matches to do so, after already facing stiff resistance. In the quarterfinals, he took five sets to get past Denis Shapovalov, who accused officials of giving Nadal special treatment.
Berrettini also took five sets to beat Gael Monfils in his quarterfinal. He survived a near collapse to win 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 3-6, 6-2 over the Frenchman.
“I am really happy for myself,†Berrettini said on the court after his win. “It was a great match with a lot of emotions. I thought I had him in the third set and then I found myself in the fifth. But I really fought hard and put everything on the court and that is why I am really happy.â€
Berrettini will make his first appearance in the Australian Open semifinals, and his third Grand Slam semifinal in total. However, he will enter his semifinal against Nadal (-215) as a +174 underdog.
Nadal is the +240 second choice to win the Australian Open, ahead of Tsitsipas (+480) and Berrettini (+650).
