World No. 1 Novak Djokovic took on Russian player Aslan Karatsev in the semifinal of the Australian Open 2021. It was their first meeting and the Serbian ace triumphed over World No. 114. Aslan Karatsev. The match ended in straight sets, 6-3 6-4 6-2, in a match that lasted for 1 hour and 53 minutes.

In the opening set, Djokovic held serve in the opening game. Both players served with great effect, until the eighth game. The World No.1 got the required break and sealed the set 6-3 after consolidating the break in the next game. During the set, Djokovic hit six aces and registered just one unforced error. 

On the other hand, Aslan registered 13 unforced errors, giving Novak a clear advantage to seal the set in his favor. Djokovic won 78% of his second serve points, whereas the Russian player won 30%. 

Novak Djokovic Breaks Aslan Karatsev Twice Early On in the Second Set

In the second set, Karatsev served in the first game and took a 1-0 lead. In the third game, Novak raised the bar and broke his opponent in his next two service games, taking a 5-1 lead after 21 minutes into the set. Although Aslan broke Novak later, it was too little too late, as the Serbian superstar clinched the set 6-4. 

 As Djokovic was one set away from booking a spot in the final, he showed no remorse and broke Aslan in the first game of the third set. In the fourth game, Aslan fought hard to break Djokovic to level the set 2-2. However, Novak never allowed his opponent to get an upper hand in the match, winning the next three games. He eventually served for the set and won 6-2. 

After winning the match, Novak stated, “Huge congratulations to him, he reached the semifinal of a grand slam on his debut, I don’t think that has ever happened in the history of tennis. Congrats to him, he played a great tournament.” 

Djokovic spoke about the second semifinal to be played tomorrow and added,

With the win today, Djokovic is the first player to reach the men’s final at the Australian Open this year. He awaits the winner of the match between Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas.

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