Swiatek outplayed by Rybakina in QF , Djokovic in Semis via Walkover,to meet Sinner

 

Iga Swiatek’s dream of completing a career Grand Slam remained unfulfilled as she crashed out of the Australian Open quarterfinals on Wednesday. The second seed was outplayed by fifth seed Elena Rybakina, whose power-packed tennis proved too much for the Polish star in Melbourne.

Swiatek, already a three-time Grand Slam champion at just 24, went down 7-5, 6-1 to the former Wimbledon winner. The Australian Open was the only major missing from her collection. After she conquered grass at Wimbledon last year—traditionally her weakest surface—there was widespread belief that she could create history in Melbourne. Instead, she missed the chance to become only the sixth woman to win all four Grand Slam titles.

Before the tournament, Swiatek had openly spoken about how special a career Grand Slam would be for her. However, her performances in the first four rounds never quite suggested that she was on course to achieve the rare feat this year. Her serve struggled throughout the quarterfinal, and on the fast Melbourne Park courts she once again found it difficult to cope with an aggressive opponent.

Against Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon champion, those weaknesses were ruthlessly exposed. Although the 26-year-old Kazakh initially struggled with her first serve—landing just 41% in the opening set—she compensated with sheer power from the baseline. The turning point came in the 12th game of the first set, when Rybakina clawed back from 0-30 with fearless returns and blistering winners to seal the set.

The second set was one-way traffic. Under pleasant conditions of around 22 degrees Celsius, Rybakina dictated play from the start, and Swiatek had no answers to the pace and depth of her shots. Rybakina, the 2023 runner-up, will now face American Jessica Pegula in Thursday’s semifinal. Pegula reached the last four after defeating fourth seed Amanda Anisimova 6-2, 7-6 (7-1).

In the men’s draw, Novak Djokovic reached the semifinals in unusual fashion—without winning a single set in the last two rounds. On Wednesday, the fourth seed advanced after receiving a walkover in his quarterfinal against Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti.

Musetti had taken the first two sets 6-4, 6-3 and Djokovic was leading 3-1 in the third when the Italian was forced to retire due to a thigh injury. Earlier, Djokovic had also benefited from a walkover in the fourth round against Jakub Mensik, meaning he reached the semifinals without completing a full match beyond the third round.

The 38-year-old Serbian, chasing a record-extending 25th Grand Slam title, has not looked at his fluent best in Melbourne. He committed 18 unforced errors in the first set against Musetti and failed to convert break points in the second. Musetti, just 23, was clearly the better player before injury struck.

After the match, Djokovic was gracious in victory. “He was playing much better than me. I really thought today would be my last day here,” Djokovic admitted. “I feel very sorry for him and wish him a speedy recovery. There’s no doubt he deserved to win.”

Ironically, Djokovic himself appeared to suffer discomfort at the end of the second set, and had Musetti been able to continue, the outcome might have been very different. With the Australian heat taking its toll, Djokovic will need quicker, more efficient wins if he is to surpass Margaret Court’s all-time record of 24 Grand Slam titles in Melbourne.

To claim an 11th Australian Open crown, Djokovic must significantly raise his level—especially with the possibility of facing defending champion Jannik Sinner in the semifinals.

In the final men’s singles quarterfinal, Jannik Sinner defeated eighth seed Ben Shelton of the United States in straight sets, 6–3, 6–4, 6–4. The match hardly appeared to test Sinner, as he kept Shelton under constant pressure with his power tennis. Sinner created 12 break-point opportunities during the match; had he converted more of them, the contest could have ended much sooner. He broke Shelton’s serve once in each set, which was enough to claim the match in three sets.

There were, however, a few questions surrounding Sinner’s own serve, particularly his first serve. Shelton earned four break-point chances but failed to capitalize on any of them. Apart from these minor serving concerns, Sinner looked unstoppable throughout the match. It is clear that Novak Djokovic will need to be at his absolute best in the semifinal, as defeating Sinner in this kind of form will be a daunting task.