Everything else was merely an appetizer to this, the principle occasion.
Novak Djokovic versus Daniil Medvedev. A repeat of the 2021 Australian Open and US Open finals and thirteenth encounter between the 2 nice rivals of males’s tennis.
Djokovic, as he does with nearly each participant on tour, leads the head-to-head 8-4.
It may and maybe must be a closing, nevertheless the pair will lock horns at Memorial Drive on Saturday night time for a spot in Sunday’s closing, towards the winner of Sebastian Korda and Yoshihito Nishioka.
The respect is mutual. The need to get one over the opposite is absolute. For Australian Open favorite Djokovic, who’s unbeaten in Australia in additional than 30 matches, it’s the good precursor to the opening grand slam of the yr.
“For the last four, five years he’s been one of the best players in the world,” Djokovic mentioned of Medvedev.
“(A) former (world) No. 1, a grand slam champion – he’s just mentally so tough in the big moments.
“Maybe it was one or two matches we played out of 12 in total where it went kind of straightforward. Most of the other matches were really close, so that’s what I expect (on Saturday) as well.
“I look forward to it. It’s going to be a great semifinals, for sure.
“But at the same time also I think (it will be the) biggest test so far for both me and him. I think this is what we want coming into Melbourne and the Australian Open.”
Djokovic has gained the previous 4 matches between the pair; Medvedev’s most up-to-date win over the 21-time grand slam champion coming within the 2021 US Open closing.
The Russian is aware of higher than anybody simply how troublesome it’s to defeat Djokovic, significantly in Australia.
“In Australia we (have) played already three times … but I lost all of them. This is a challenge to play Novak in Australia,” Medvedev mentioned.
“Maybe it can be easier in Adelaide than Melbourne, you never know, but it’s a challenge and it’s a great test before the Australian Open to play one of the best ones and probably the best player ever in terms of Australian tennis.”
But earlier than the 2 former world No. 1s do battle on centre court docket later tonight, the Adelaide International will serve up a large day of finals motion.
It begins at 12pm native time when Aussie Storm Hunter companions Katerina Siniakova within the doubles closing on centre court docket.
Giant killer Irina-Camelia Begu will look to proceed her run when she faces No. 2 seed Aryna Sabalenka within the first girls’s singles semi-final from 2pm.
Begu already has No. 7 seed Jelena Ostapenko and No. 4 seed Veronika Kudermetova on her listing of Adelaide International scalps, whereas Sabalenka is but to drop a set at Memorial Drive this week.
From 4pm is the virtually forgotten males’s singles semi-final between Sebastian Korda and Yoshihito Nishioka.
With all eyes on the Djokovic-Medvedev showdown, the battle between unseeded younger weapons for a spot in Sunday’s closing shall be must-watch tv.
Shock Czech qualifier Linda Noskova will take purpose at one more large title when she meets world No. 2 Ons Jabeur within the second girls’s singles semi-final from 6.30pm.
Noskova performed an enthralling near-three hour epic towards Victoria Azarenka in Friday’s quarterfinal and the younger gun, who started her Adelaide International run with a win over No. 3 seed Daria Kastakina, has the instruments to go all the best way.
And then after all it’s the large one. From 8.30pm native time, it’s a repeat of the 2021 Australian Open and US Open finals when Djokovic and Medvedev meet for the third time in 4 months for a spot in Sunday’s males’s singles closing.
From 12pm WTA 500 Doubles Final:
Storm Hunter (AUS), Katerina Siniakova (CZE) [1] v Asia Muhammad (USA), Taylor Townsend (USA) [6]
Not earlier than 2pm – WTA 500 Semi-Final:
Irina-Camelia Begu (ROU) v Aryna Sabalenka [2]
Not earlier than 4pm -ATP 250 Semi-Final:
Sebastian Korda (USA) v Yoshihito Nishioka (JPN)
Not earlier than 6.30pm WTA 500 Semi-Final:
Ons Jabeur (TUN) [1] v Linda Noskova (CZE) [Q]
Not earlier than 8.30pm – ATP 250 Semi-Final:
Novak Djokovic (SRB) [1] v Daniil Medvedev [3]
Originally printed as Novak Djokovic v Daniil Medvedev Adelaide International semi-final
