Australian Open 2023, semi-final, Thursday, 26.01.2023
Admittedly, Novak Djokovic as the first finalist of the Australian Open 2023, that was actually already certain from the start of the tournament. But who will join him should the Djoker actually remain as cold as ice?
Stefanos Tsitsipas came within a hair’s breadth of reaching the final in the last two years, and that should not happen to him again. At Betway, he is appropriately favoured on Thursday – and that despite the fact that his opponent succeeds in almost everything in Melbourne.
In my Khachanov Tsitsipas tip, I will therefore clarify which fact speaks for which player and why I believe we will see a Greek jubilation in the end in a heated match.
He played tournaments of the extra class, was among the best four. And then? Then came Daniil Medvedev twice. That’s how the last two Australian Opens went from Stefanos Tsitsipas’ point of view.
Now the world number 4 finally wants to take the final step. Of course, he also knows that Novak Djokovic is considered unbeatable by almost everyone, but once such a final is reached, anything can happen.
Tsitsipas has really only allowed himself one small weakness in the tournament. Quentin Halys (6-3, 6-4, 7-6), Rinky Hijikata (6-3, 6-0, 6-2) and Tallon Griekspoor (6-2, 7-6, 6-3) were not yet opponents, but then the last 16 was on the agenda.
He was already 2-0 up against Jannik Sinner, having snatched a 6-4 twice. But the Italian came back and after his 6-3, 6-4, the fifth set had to decide. Here it was Tsitsipas again who held his nerve.
He snatched another 6-3, but knew: “Another opponent might have exploited my weak points better. He gave away 26 break opportunities!
Sinner only made use of four of them, so luck was with the Greek. In the quarter-finals, he finally met Jiri Lehecka, an absolute outsider. And promptly the smooth success was back again!
6-3, 7-6, 6-4, Tsitsipas skilfully fended off his opponent’s eight break chances. He could be a little more determined on his own serve to avoid making his opponents unnecessarily strong.
On the other hand, Tsitsipas won all three tiebreaks in Melbourne, which speaks for his strong nerves. But there is probably another reason why he is in the lead with odds of 1.40 to 3.00 with our betting providers for the semi-final.
He has met Karen Khachanov five times, winning all five games. Three times it was two sets, twice three sets. Tsitsipas also prevailed last year, this time 4-6, 6-0, 6-3.
Karen Khachanov will have to live with the fact that he will be the underdog on Thursday. But that shouldn’t bother the Russian, after all, he’ll be back in the semi-finals after the US Open 2022!
This is by far his best performance in Down Under and the 26-year-old seems to have finally found consistency. In the first two rounds he had to deal with Bernbabe Zapata Miralles and Jason Kubler, dropping a total of one set here.
In round 3, the eagerly awaited duel against Frances Tiafoe was on the agenda. Khachanov won 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6, a great success. Yoshihito Nishioka was not really a contender in the following round of 16.
The Russian twice swept past his opponent 6-0 before letting it coast at 7-6 in the third set. American top talent Sebastian Korda finally tried to stop Khachanov in the quarter-finals.
In the end, however, Korda was not fit enough, so Khachanov entered the semi-finals early at 7-6, 6-3, 3-0. Like Tsitsipas, he also allowed his opponents a few break opportunities, which does not speak for a clear line on Thursday.
Can Stefanos Tsitsipas finally reward himself for his great performances? The third semi-final in a row in Melbourne should not bring bitter tears again. The Greek has only lost sets against Jannik Sinner, not against anyone else.
However, he is not free of problems, because the number of break chances is quite high. Karen Khachanov feels better than ever in Down Under and has already won four tiebreaks with strong nerves.
Therefore, I believe that Tsitsipas has the advantage, but we can expect a heated and close encounter. I will therefore conclude my analysis with the following tip:
Tsitsipas wins at over 3.5 sets!
