Sinner ends 10-time champion Novak Djokovic's Australian Open streak, faces Medvedev for the title
Melbourne (AP): Jannik Sinner ended one of Novak Djokovic's perfect streaks in an Australian Open upset and then got to relax while Daniil Medvedev rallied from two sets down to beat Alexander Zverev after midnight to secure the other place in the final.
For a self-described tennis fan, just everything went Sinner's way in the semifinals Friday.
The 22-year-old Italian broke Djokovic's serve twice in each of the first two sets in a surprisingly lopsided 6-1, 6-2, 6-7 (6), 6-3 victory that ended the 10-time champion's unbeaten streak in semifinals at Rod Laver Arena.
Almost an hour after missing a match point in the tiebreaker, Sinner converted his second to complete his third win in four head-to-heads since losing to Djokovic in last year's Wimbledon semifinals.
"I learned a lot from that," he said of that Wimbledon loss and his subsequent wins. "It gives you a better feeling when you know that you can beat one player.
"The confidence from the end of last year has for sure kept the belief."
Third-seeded Medvedev appeared down and out after two sets, and was two points from losing in the fourth, but rallied to beat Zverev 5-7, 3-6, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (5), 6-3 after 4 hours, 18 minutes.
"I was a little bit lost, but during the third set I started saying If I lose this match, I just want to be proud of myself,'" said Medvedev, who has lost two finals in Australia, including one from two sets up. "I'm proud of myself."
Zverev's run drew attention on and off the court after news emerged that a German court set a trial date in May over an assault allegation dating to 2020. The Olympic gold medalist has denied the accusations since last July when details of the case became public.
After winning the first two sets, Zverev got within a couple of swings of the racket of making a second Grand Slam final. Instead it will be Medvedev, the 2021 U.S. Open champion whose run here included a grueling second-round win that finished at almost 4 in the morning, who will be aiming for a second major title.
Sinner will be the youngest player to contest the men's final in Australia since Djokovic won the first of his 10 titles here in 2008.
A record-extending 11th Australian and 25th major title overall will have to wait for Djokovic.
He hadn't lost a match at Melbourne Park since a fourth-round exit in 2018, had never lost after reaching the final four, and was on a 33-match winning streak at the season's first major.
"He's deservedly in the finals. He outplayed me completely," Djokovic said. "Look, I was shocked with my level in a bad way. 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."
Djokovic didn't get a look at a break point at all the first time he's experienced that in a completed Grand Slam match.
"That stat says a lot," Djokovic said. "First of all, he was serving very accurately, precise, he was backing his serve very well.
"There's a lot of negative things that I've done on the court today in terms of my game. Everything ... was just subpar."
Sinner took the first two sets in under 1 1/4 hours in mild afternoon conditions in an astonishing start against a player who lost only one Grand Slam match last year the Wimbledon final against Alcaraz.
Djokovic, as he so often does, picked up his service percentage, cut down his unforced errors and and upped the pressure in the third.
He was serving at 5-5 and at deuce when play was interrupted briefly while a spectator received medical help in the stands. Djokovic then held serve and saved a match point before taking the set in a tiebreaker.
But he was immediately in trouble again on his serve.
He fended off three break points to hold from 15-40 down in the second game of the fourth but Sinner got a decisive service break in the fourth game, winning five straight points from 40-0 down to take a 3-1 lead.
Continuous chants of "Nole, Nole, Nole, Nole" echoed around Rod Laver Arena between big points from Djokovic fans encouraging their champion, giving it a football vibe.
It helped lift the intensity of both players.
The chair umpire asked spectators three times to keep quiet with Sinner serving for the match.
The loss to Djokovic at Wimbledon has become a turning point in their rivalry. After losing the first three meetings, Sinner won two of the next three all in November in the group stage of the ATP Finals in Turin and in the Davis Cup semifinals.
"I think you win the matches not only on that day, you win it because you feel prepared for a good fight," Sinner said. "After last year, especially end of the year, gave me confidence that I could potentially do some good results in Grand Slams."
The 36-year-old Djokovic missed his first chance to be just the third person in history to win 11 titles at any Grand Slam event Rafael Nadal has 14 French Open titles and Margaret Court won 11 women's titles in Australia.
"This tournament hasn't been up to my standard ... but doesn't necessarily mean that it's beginning of the end," he said. "Let's see what happens in the rest of the season."
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T'gana RTC strike: Talks between govt, employees successful
Hyderabad (PTI): Talks between employees of Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (RTC) who were on strike and the state government concluded successfully on Friday as the government agreed to the key demands of the workmen.
Following a day-long marathon of talks between the leaders of the employees' Joint Action Committee (JAC) and the cabinet sub-committee, the government announced after midnight that it acceded to the demands, including a merger of RTC with the government, 11 per cent pay revision and elections to the employees' unions.
A committee comprising officials and employee leaders would be appointed over the merger of RTC with the government, it said.
The RTC management has also agreed to address the remaining issues as well, an official release said.
The employees would call off their strike and the RTC buses would hit the roads shortly, it said.
The employees had been on an indefinite strike since April 22 over a series of demands, including the merger of RTC with the government.
Earlier in the day, a driver of the RTC, who attempted suicide on April 23 during the strike, died at a hospital here in the early hours of Friday.
Shankar Goud, a 55-year-old driver, set himself ablaze by pouring petrol at Narsampet in Warangal district when the employees were staging a protest on Thursday in support of their demands.
Goud suffered serious burns, was initially admitted to a state-run hospital in Warangal, and later shifted to a super-speciality hospital in Hyderabad for advanced treatment.
"He succumbed (to injuries) at about 1.30 am on Friday," a senior official said.
The driver’s body was taken to his relative’s village, Muttojipet in Warangal district, for funeral rites.
Tension prevailed in Muttojipet as his family members and RTC employees attempted to take the body to the Narsampet bus station, where he worked, to enable his colleagues to pay their last respects. However, police did not permit this, citing law-and-order concerns.
This led to a deadlock before the funeral could proceed.
Union Minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar criticised the Telangana government for not allowing the body to be taken to the Narsampet bus station.
Kumar, Minister of State (Home), visited Muttojipet village in Warangal district, where the funeral was held, and paid homage to Goud.
“They (family members) want to take the body to the bus depot for five minutes. Is the RTC bus depot in Pakistan or Bangladesh? They are emotionally attached to taking the body there. The government is hurting sentiments and creating fear among RTC employees,” Kumar told reporters.
He also expressed anger at the police for not allowing the body to be taken to the bus station and staged a protest, according to a release from his office.
RTC employees and BJP workers attempted to take the mortal remains in an ambulance to Narsampet, but were stopped by the police.
Later, after discussions with the police, the family members and RTC employees agreed to conduct the funeral in the village.
Sanjay Kumar, stating he would abide by the family’s decision, left the village after the funeral was conducted there.
Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar said an ex gratia of Rs 10 lakh, a house, and a government job would be provided to the kin of Goud.
Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy expressed shock over the employee’s death and conveyed deep condolences to the grieving family, according to the release.
The RTC employees’ JAC had earlier announced an agitation programme from April 24 to 29, including silent marches and submission of memorandums to MLAs and other leaders.
