Jannik Sinner serves up Novak Djokovic rematch after outlasting Andrey Rublev at Australian Open

In the first meeting between two Top 5 players at this year’s Australian Open, No. 4 seed Jannik Sinner outlasted No. 5 Andrey Rublev in three sets to reach his first semifinal Down Under—and set up a rematch with world No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the next round.

The Italian, who has yet to drop a set in Melbourne, put on a big-serving performance against Rublev and dialed up the intensity during the clutch moments as he saved all eight break points he faced en route to a 6-4, 7-6 (5), 6-3 victory on Rod Laver Arena.

“It’s obviously really tough to play against him, we’ve had some tough matches already in the past,” Sinner told Jim Courier in their on-court interview. “Also today was three sets, but I could have lost both first and second sets—he had so many break points, and somehow I served really well on those.

“But everything goes so fast, it’s just more about reaction and trying to move him a little bit more than me.”

But despite the scoreline, the match wasn’t without its twists and turns. With Sinner leading by a set and serving at 2-3 in the second, the Italian began to massage and gesture to his right abdominals in between points. Though he didn’t receive treatment, the apparent pain seemed to impact his serve speed as the set progressed, allowing the Russian to work his way back.

It took a nearly superhuman effort from Sinner to hold off a surging Rublev throughout the rest of the set, which came down to a third-set decider—the first tiebreak of the tournament for Sinner. After Rublev took a daunting 5-1 lead, Sinner responded by finding another gear and reeling off the next six points in a row to escape.

“It was all really tight… but actually these (are) the kinds of moments I really love to play,” Sinner said of his turnaround. “This is what I practice for, and I’m really excited when we have these pressure points on. I’m just trying to stay aggressive, and it went my way today.”

Sinner eventually righted the ship in the third set—but his physical condition will surely become a talking point as he prepares to face 10-time Australian Open champion Djokovic on this court in less than two days.

The No. 4 seed’s late-season surge shook up the ATP Tour’s Top 10, as he racked up two victories against Djokovic at the Nitto ATP Finals and Davis Cup. But he still trails the world No. 1 by 2-4 in their head-to-head record, and Djokovic has won both of their meetings at the Grand Slam level—including a straight-sets victory in Sinner's first Grand Slam semifinal last year at Wimbledon.

“I’m really lucky to face him again. This is one of the biggest tournaments in the world, and I’m happy to play against the world No. 1 who won here a few times,” Sinner said with a wry chuckle. “It’s going to be tough, but the only thing I can control is that I will give my 100 percent and fight for every ball.”