AO 2026: Djokovic escapes, Rybakina in control

Heartbreak for Musetti

It’s not every day you find yourself leading Djokovic by two sets to love at a Grand Slam, least of all at the Australian Open; but that’s a position Lorenzo Musetti was in on Wednesday afternoon on Rod Laver Arena.

The Italian No.5 seed was using his variety to great effect, unsettling Djokovic as he marched to a 6-4, 6-3 advantage. Early in the third, after Djokovic had received treatment for blisters on his right foot, Musetti called for the trainer for a right leg problem.

After dominating from the baseline and covering the court incredibly well, Musetti struggled to move and retired while down 1-3 in the third.

It was a huge blow for Musetti, who entered the match with a 1-9 head-to-head record against Djokovic, and was seeking a maiden Australian Open semi-final.

Djokovic, who received a walkover in the previous round due to the withdrawal of Jakub Mensik, admitted he got lucky on Wednesday, saying Musetti was clearly the better player on court.

“I don’t know what to say except that I feel really sorry for him. He was a far better player, I was on my way home tonight,” the 24-time Grand Slam champion said on court.

He later added in his press conference: “It is a very physical game. Today's example with Musetti is really clearly showing how challenging this sport is. He was a better player on the court. He was close to win it. He was in the control, and then obviously something happens.

“That's the beauty of tennis as an individual sport but also a huge challenge.

“It's horrible, particularly when you are feeling you're playing very well, like he was, and you can't perform the way you want to. It's just your body is not letting you. That's a hard one to swallow, but that's the sport we are in.”

Djokovic has now taken sole ownership of the all-time record for most Australian Open singles match-wins, ahead of Roger Federer, with 103 victories at Melbourne Park.

His reward is a semi-final clash against two-time defending champion Jannik Sinner, who has won his last five matches against the Serb.

“I don't feel like I'm chasing. I'm creating my own history,” said Djokovic, when asked about the current dominance of Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.

“Are they better right now than me and all the other guys? Yes, they are. The quality and the level is amazing. It's great. It's phenomenal. But does that mean that I walk out with a white flag? No. I'm going to fight until the last shot, until the last point, and do my very best to challenge them.”

Musetti was understandably heartbroken when addressing the press following his retirement.

“We have done all the exams and tests before starting the season to see and to try and prevent these kind of injuries, and then they say nothing came out, so I honestly have no words to describe how I'm feeling right now and how tough is for me this injury in this moment,” said the 23-year-old.

Business as usual for Sinner

Second-seeded Sinner reached a sixth consecutive Grand Slam semi-final – and ninth overall – with a 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 performance against eight-seeded American Ben Shelton.

The Italian extended his current tour-level winning streak to 20 matches and added to his unbeaten run at Melbourne Park, which now stands at 19 victories in a row.

Shelton’s famous lefty serve yielded eight aces and the American averaged a first-serve speed of 196km/hr on Wednesday but none of that ruffled Sinner’s feathers as he blasted 33 winners against just 16 unforced errors during the two-hour 32-minute quarter-final.

“Ben is an incredible player, and every time we face each other is very interesting to see, so I'm very happy about today,” said Sinner, who saved all four break points he faced and is now 9-1 head-to-head against Shelton.

Rybakina aces her way past Swiatek, books Pegula meeting

She’s won the most matches on the women’s tour since Wimbledon last year (36) and on Wednesday, it certainly showed.

A confident Rybakina ended Iga Swiatek’s bid to complete the career Grand Slam by defeating the Polish second seed 7-5, 6-1 in 95 minutes.

The reigning WTA Finals champion advanced to the fourth major semi-final of her career, where she will take on sixth-seeded Jessica Pegula.

“I’m really happy with the win, and happy that it was in straight sets. Was a bit struggling in the first set with the serve, but overall, happy that I managed to win in two,” said Rybakina, who clocked 11 aces en route to her sixth win from 12 meetings with Swiatek.

Meanwhile, Pegula triumphed in an all-American battle, improving her perfect record against Amanda Anisimova to 4-0 with a 6-2, 7-6(1) triumph.

“I think I showed some good mental resilience there at the end not to get frustrated and, yeah, just really happy with everything today,” said Pegula, who is through to her first Australian Open semi-final after losing in the quarters on three previous occasions.