Lulu Sun has made history by advancing to the quarterfinals of Wimbledon with a remarkable 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 victory over Emma Raducanu on Centre Court on Sunday.

This match was memorable for many reasons. Sun became the first New Zealander to play a singles match on Centre Court at Wimbledon since Chris Lewis reached the men’s final in 1983. She is also the first Kiwi woman ever to reach the singles quarterfinals at Wimbledon, continuing her impressive run since switching allegiance to New Zealand.

After Carlos Alcaraz’s four-set win over Ugo Humbert, Sun and Raducanu took the court at 4:50 pm. The crowd greeted Sun with mild applause but reserved their ecstatic cheers for Raducanu.

However, Sun quickly silenced the 15,000 spectators with a strong start, preventing them from getting into the match early. Raducanu netted the first two points, then double-faulted, and despite reaching 30-40, Sun secured a confidence-boosting break with a volley at the net.

Following a hold, Sun broke Raducanu again to love, quieting the crowd even more. Raducanu managed to get on the board after Sun double-faulted on break point, but Sun maintained her composure to hold her lead and win the first set.

The second set saw Sun saving a couple of break points at 1-2, and the first five games were a prolonged battle, with both players aware of the critical nature of a break of serve. The tension culminated when Sun was broken at 5-6.

After both players took a break to change outfits, Raducanu twisted her left ankle and strained her back while reaching for a wide ball in the first game of the final set. Despite a lengthy medical timeout, Raducanu seemed unaffected when play resumed, hitting an ace on the next point, but her serve was broken.

The match continued with tense moments, but Sun secured another break. Despite Raducanu’s resilience, it was Sun who advanced to Tuesday’s quarterfinal.

Sun broke down in tears after the match, and during her press conference an hour later, the significance of her win was still sinking in.

“Yeah, it was an incredible match,” Sun said. “A very long match. I think Emma kept at it. I’m super happy with the performance. At the end, we were both struggling energy-wise with the long match. The level was great from both of us. Just super pleased. I’m kind of tired, so I can’t really put it into words.”

Melbourne, Jan 26 (IANS) Daniil Medvedev advanced through to the final of the Australian Open for a third time after producing a dramatic comeback to beat Alexander Zverev 5-7, 3-6, 7-6(4), 7-6(5), 6-3 in the second semifinal clash at Rod Laver Arena here on Friday.

With his 27th match win in Melbourne Park, Medvedev is the 13th man in the Open Era to reach the Australian Open final on three or more occasions, having lost in 2021 and 2022, when he led Rafael Nadal by two sets.

The script initially favoured Zverev, who stormed into a 4-1 lead in the first set with a double break, seemingly dictating the narrative. However, Medvedev, battling the physical toll of gruelling matches, refused to succumb to the German’s dominance.

The pivotal moment arrived at 5-5, a juncture where Medvedev, fueled by an indomitable spirit, fought back into contention. A dramatic 51-shot rally unfolded, leaving spectators in awe, but it was Zverev who clinched the set with a decisive winner.

As the second set commenced, Zverev continued his surge, securing a break at 2-2 and consolidating his advantage to go 4-2 up. Unyielding in his pursuit, Zverev closed out the set with clinical precision, leaving Medvedev with a mountain to climb. Undeterred, the Russian took a strategic bathroom break at the end of the set, emerging with a renewed vigour that belied the physical toll.

The third set unfolded as a captivating battle, with both players matching each other shot for shot. The set culminated in a tie-break, a fitting conclusion to a battle marked by equality. Medvedev, seemingly on the brink of defeat at 3-1 down, seized the moment as cracks appeared in Zverev’s game. With unwavering focus, he capitalised on his opponent’s errors, forcing a fourth set against all odds.

What ensued was a war of attrition, with Medvedev adopting a relentless baseline grind that stifled Zverev’s pace. The momentum had shifted, and the Russian maestro took control, breaking Zverev to go 3-2 ahead. The tension mounted as they reached another tie-break, where Medvedev, propelled by a remarkable forehand drop shot, secured a set point and aced Zverev to force a decider.

Now in the ascendancy, Medvedev continued to dictate the rallies, forcing errors from Zverev’s racket. A crucial break at 3-2 paved the way for Medvedev to serve out the match, completing a comeback for the ages. The 5-7, 3-6, 7-6(4), 7-6(5), 6-3 triumph catapulted Medvedev into his sixth Grand Slam final, setting the stage for a showdown with the formidable Jannik Sinner.

Melbourne, Jan 26 (IANS) The 10-time champion in Melbourne, Novak Djokovic has termed the Australian Open 2024 semifinal defeat by the Italian Jannik Sinner as “one of the worst Grand Slam matches I’ve ever played”.

Sinner, at 22 years the youngest man to reach a final at Melbourne Park since 2008, registered a stunning 6-1, 6-2, 6-7(6), 6-3 triumph at the Rod Laver Arena, ending Djokovic’s 33-match winning streak in Melbourne and handing him his first Australian Open defeat since 2018.

Djokovic found himself overpowered and outplayed by the young contender. The Serbian maestro, known for his dominance on the court, was visibly frustrated as he struggled to find his rhythm, committing an uncharacteristic 54 unforced errors.

In a post-match press conference, Djokovic, critiquing his own performance with brutal honesty, said, “I was shocked with my level in a bad way”.

Acknowledging the stark contrast between his usual brilliance and the lacklustre display on that fateful day, he admitted, “There was not much I was doing right in the first two sets. This is one of the worst Grand Slam matches I’ve ever played; at least that I remember. [It’s] not a very pleasant feeling playing this way. Credit to him for doing everything better than me in every aspect of the game. I tried, I fought. I managed to raise the level a little bit in the third, saved a match point, and played a good tie-break.

“But (in) the fourth set, (it was a) very bad game to lose, 40-0 up on 1-2, against the wind a little bit. The performance-wise level of my tennis was really not great,” said Djokovic.

Djokovic had dropped three sets en route to the last-four stage at Melbourne Park, but his dominance had shown in all the matches he had played before his encounter with Sinner.

The Italian raced into a two-set lead, and the top seed’s third-set revival would prove only temporary.

“The whole tournament I haven’t really played close to my best,” Djokovic admitted. “Maybe against (Adrian) Mannarino, I was great, but most of the matches I was not playing up to par [compared to] the way I play here in Australia normally.

“It did surprise me because I thought it wouldn’t be that bad in the first two sets. But on the other hand, I didn’t feel really myself on the court during this tournament. One can say the semi-finals is a great result, of course, but I always expect the highest of myself, and it wasn’t meant to be today.

“There’s a lot of negative things that I’ve done on the court today in terms of my game that I’m not really pleased with; return, movement, forehand, backhand. Everything was just subpar,” said the tennis legend from Serbia.

Despite the bitter defeat, Djokovic swiftly dispelled any notions of age catching up with him. At 36, he remained resolute, expressing high hopes for future tournaments, including the Grand Slams and the Olympics.

“I still have high hopes for other Slams (and the) Olympics, and whatever tournaments that I’ll play. It’s not the feeling that I’m used to,” he confessed, reflecting on the deviation from his customary standards.

“This tournament hasn’t been up to the standard that I would normally play or expect myself to play, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s the beginning of the end. Let’s see what happens in the rest of the season,” he said.

Melbourne, Jan 26 (IANS) Jannik Sinner recorded a dominant win against 10-time champion Novak Djokovic to reach his first Grand Slam final, scuttling Serbian’s bid for a record-extending 11th Australian Open in the semifinals on Friday.

The youngest man to reach a final at Melbourne Park since 2008, the 22-year-old Italian registered a stunning 6-1, 6-2, 6-7(6-8), 6-3 triumph at Rod Laver Arena, ending Djokovic’s 33-match Melbourne winning streak and handing him his first Australian Open defeat since 2018.

“It was a very, very tough match. I started off really well. For two sets, I felt like he was not feeling that great on court so I just tried to keep pushing. Then in the third set I had match point and I missed the forehand, but this is tennis. I just tried to be ready also for the next set, which I started off really well. And obviously the atmosphere was so great to play here,” Sinner said in his on-court interview.

Only sixth months ago, world No.1 Djokovic had few difficulties keeping the Italian contained in the Wimbledon semifinals, but a pair of confidence-boosting wins from three subsequent encounters had invigorated Sinner’s belief, AusOpen reports.

In just his second Grand Slam semifinal, Sinner paid no attention to precedent and after three hours and 23 minutes handed Djokovic his first loss against a top-five opponent at Melbourne Park since the Serb fell to Roger Federer in the fourth round in 2007.

Sinner will meet either third seed Daniil Medvedev or sixth seed Alexander Zverev for his maiden major trophy on Sunday.

“The confidence from the end of last year has for sure kept the belief that I can play against the best players in the world. I’m really happy that I can play Sunday my first final. Let’s see how it goes. But I’m really happy, I’ll come here with a smile and I’ll try my best,” the Italian said.

Despite the defeat, Djokovic will remain No. 1 in the ATP Rankings. Sinner could rise to a career-high of No. 3 if he wins his first major title and Daniil Medvedev loses to Alexander Zverev in Friday’s second semifinal.

Melbourne, Jan 26 (IANS) In the first championship match between two top-four seeded teams at Melbourne Park in 23 years, Hsieh Su-wei and Jan Zielinski emerged triumphant in the mixed doubles event.

The No.3 seeds fought past second seeds American Desirae Krawczyk and Brit Neal Skupski, 6-7(5-7), 6-4, 11-9 in an enthralling and high-quality final at Rod Laver Arena.

Hsieh and Zielinski saved a championship point in a high-pressure match tiebreak, before sealing victory in just under two hours.

It is a first major mixed doubles title for both 38-year-old Hsieh and 27-year-old Zielinski, who fought back from a 2-4 deficit in the second set and then almost squandered a 7-4 advantage in a thrilling match tiebreak, Aus Open reports.

Their victory sees Hsieh become the first player from Chinese Taipei to win an Australian Open mixed doubles title, while Zielinski is the first Polish player in history to capture a major mixed doubles crown.

Hsieh has the chance to win another Australian Open title on Sunday, when she competes in the women’s doubles final alongside Belgium’s Elise Mertens.