Novak Djokovic vs Tommy Paul - LIVE: Latest updates from Australian Open men’s semi-final

Stefanos Tsitsipas overcame a third-set wobble to defeat Karen Khachanov and reach his first Australian Open final.

The third seed has been a man on a mission all fortnight, troubled only by Jannik Sinner in the fourth round until now, and he looked set to cruise into the final as he stepped up to serve for a straight-sets victory.

But Russian Khachanov clung on, breaking Tsitsipas and then saving two match points in the third-set tie-break before the Greek eventually clinched a 7-6 (1) 6-4 6-7 (6) 6-3 victory.

Tsitsipas had reached the last four in three of the last four years at Melbourne Park without going further, losing in 2019 to Rafael Nadal and in 2021 and 2022 to Daniil Medvedev.

He was not to be denied this time, though, and will now aim to go one better than his only previous slam final at the French Open in 2021, when he led Novak Djokovic by two sets to one but was eventually beaten.

Report by Eleanor Crooks

Tommy Paul is faced with the challenge of defeating Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals of the Australian Open - a feat no one has managed to do since the Serbian won his first on nine titles here 15 years ago.

Djokovic was in stunning form against Andrey Rublev and Alex De Minaur and said he wanted to send a message to his rivals: “Playing against two guys that are really good players, in-form players, to beat them dominantly in three sets, is definitely something that I want in this moment, something that sends a message to all my opponents remaining in the draw.

“With this kind of game, of course the confidence level rises. I feel good on the court, better and better as the tournament progresses. I’ve been in this situation so many times in my life, in my career, never lost a semi-finals in (the) Australian Open. Hopefully that will stay the same.”

Novak Djokovic admitted his travails in Australia are giving him extra fuel as he chases a 10th title at Melbourne Park.

The Serbian was again in superb form, painting the lines consistently in a 6-1 6-2 6-4 victory over fifth seed Andrey Rublev on Rod Laver Arena to set up a semi-final with unseeded American Tommy Paul.

Djokovic, who has never lost at the Australian Open once he has reached the last four, is trying to make up for lost time after last year’s vaccination furore and deportation, while this year he has been battling a left hamstring problem.

“I don’t think that I lack determination,” said Djokovic, who tied the record of former coach Andre Agassi with a 26th consecutive victory here. I always try to give my best, particularly in grand slams, because at this stage of my career those are the tournaments that count the most, of course.

“But you could say that there is something extra this year, yeah. You could say because (of) the injury, what happened last year. I just wanted to really do well. So far I have a perfect score in Australian hard courts, in Adelaide and here. I’ve been playing better and better. I couldn’t ask for a better situation to be in at the moment.”

Stefanos Tsitsipas is through to his first Australian Open final! The Greek sees off the challenge of Karen Khachanov in what was an impressive performance.

Tsitsipas missed two match points in the third set tiebreak but responded well to race away with the fourth set, with his aggressive play key to a 7-6, 6-4, 6-7, 6-3 win.

After three semi-final defeats in Melbourne, he has finally broken through.

How to watch the Australian Open 2023

You can watch the Australian Open live on Eurosport in the UK. The action will be broadcast on Eurosport’s TV channels, or fans can tune into Discovery+ to stream the tournament, where an Entertainment & Sport pass is available for either £6.99/month or £59.99/year.

Sky has also announced that starting today, Discovery+ will be available at no extra cost for Sky customers, including for Sky Glass and Sky Stream customers.

If you’re not already a Sky customer, you can get a Sky Stream box, which comes with Sky TV and a Netflix basic plan. The device is currently discounted in Sky’s winter sale (was £26 per month, now £24 per month, Sky.com). This is Sky’s new device, and doesn’t require a satellite dish as it streams Sky directly over wifi.

Order of play - Friday 27th January

From 08:30 GMT

Novak Djokovic vs Tommy Paul

Follow live updates from the Australian Open men’s semi-finals as Novak Djokovic faces Tommy Paul. Djokovic is the strong favourite to reach Sunday’s final - where the winner will play Stefanos Tsitsipas or Karen Khachanov - and the Serbian has won all nine of his previous semi-final appearances in Melbourne. American Paul, meanwhile, is contesting in his first ever grand slam semi-final.

Djokovic has been in supreme form as he continues his bid for a 10th Australian Open and 22nd grand slam title, but the 35-year-old has been dragged into further controversy in Melbourne after his father was filmed posing with Vladimir Putin supporters on Wednesday.

Srdjan Djokovic has insisted he was unwittingly caught up in the pro-Russian demonstration but has decided not to attend his son’s semi-final. Djokovic is yet to comment on the incident, which followed his straight-sets victory over Andrey Rublev in the quarter-finals.