MELBOURNE/WASHINGTON, January 28, 2026 (by Michael Dickens)
Ten-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic looked ready to punch his ticket out of the first major of the 2026 season. He trailed two-sets-to-none against No. 5 seed Lorenzo Musetti Wednesday afternoon on Rod Laver Arena.
“For sure, I was on my way home tonight,” the fourth-seeded Djokovic said looking back on his quarterfinal tussle. Musetti led 6-4, 6-3, 1-3 before retiring after two hours and eight minutes of battle. He was unable to compete further after suffering a potential tear in his right iliopsoas or adductor.
The World No. 4 Djokovic advanced to his 13th semifinal after the 23-year-old Italian was unable to play on. But he didn’t feel good about it.
The sport we all love can be brutal sometimes…
WIshing you a speedy recovery, Lorenzo @wwos • @espn • @tntsports • @wowowtennis • #AO26 pic.twitter.com/bC5wLyLrxo
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 28, 2026
“I feel really sorry for him and he was the far better player,” Djokovic said in his on-court interview.
“Being [in the] quarters of a Grand Slam, two sets to love up and being in full control, I mean so unfortunate.
“I really wish him a speedy recovery and he should have been a winner today, no doubt.”
During the abbreviated quarterfinal match, Musetti hit more winners (29 to 26) and made fewer unforced errors (23 to 32) than Djokovic. He converted five of 11 break points and won more points on his return than the Serbian great. Where Djokovic prevailed was in controlling the net, where he won 20 of 32 exchanges compared to six of 10 for Musetti. By the end, Musetti was ahead on total points 77-72.
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“He makes you play – when you think the point is finished, it’s not,” said Djokovic who improved to 10-1 lifetime against Musetti.
“When you attack him, you don’t know what to expect, whether it’s going to be a passing shot, cross-court, or short slice or he’s going to go full flat in your body or just a looping ball to my weakest shot, which is overhead. I think we’ve seen that today again.
“Just wasn’t feeling the ball today the first couple [of] sets but that’s also due to his quality and his variety.
“I’m just extremely lucky to get through this today.”
After taking a medical time out early in the third set, Musetti played another 10 points before he was unable to continue. He was in too much pain.
“The feeling of leading two sets to zero against Novak and playing like that and have the lead of the match like that and be forced to retire is something that I will never imagine,” Musetti said during his post-match news conference. “Of course, it’s really painful.”
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The victory was the 38-year-old Djokovic’s 103rd at the Australian Open, which broke the previous mark of 102 set by Roger Federer. By winning, Djokovic avoided losing for the first time in a Grand Slam quarterfinal since losing to Rafael Nadal in 2022 at Roland-Garros. Strangely enough, Djokovic hasn’t won a set since his third-round match against Botic van de Zandschulp. He advanced to the quarterfinals by a walkover against No. 16 seed Jakub Mensik, who pulled out of the AO with an injury.
Djokovic also extended his record of Grand Slam semifinal appearances to 54. He’s also the second-oldest man in the Open Era to reach an AO semifinal after Ken Rosewall.
Now, after a walkover and a retirement, Djokovic will meet two-time defending champion Jannik Sinner of Italy in the semifinals on Friday evening. Sinner leads their career head-to-head series 6-4 and has won five consecutive matches against Djokovic. The other semifinal will pair World No. 1 and top seed Carlos Alcaraz of Spain against No. 3 seed Alexander Zverev of Germany.
Sinner reaches third-straight AO semifinal
Sinner extended his winning streak at Melbourne Park to 19 after taking care of eighth-seeded Ben Shelton of the United States, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4, in two hours and 23 minutes on Rod Laver Arena Wednesday evening.
After struggling with cramping and extreme heat in his third-round match until the roof was closed against Eliot Spizzirri, Sinner was in better heath against Shelton. Now, he’s through to his third-straight AO semifinal after beating the American No. 1 for the ninth time in 10 meetings. He’s won 22 consecutive sets against the powerful lefty.
Jannik Sinner, unstoppable, unplayable, and into the #AO26 semis @wwos • @espn • @tntsports • @wowowtennis • #AO26 pic.twitter.com/vmYJrqRul7
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 28, 2026
“Very happy with today’s performance,” said Sinner, who is through to his sixth-straight major semifinal and is on track to become just the fourth player to win three consecutive Australian Open men’s singles titles.
“It’s definitely one of the toughest challenges to return his serve, also the second serve comes with a lot of spin and the ball is bouncy here. It helps a little bit playing in the evening – it’s a bit less bouncy – but still, it’s very, very difficult. But I felt like I returned great today.”
Sinner won 78 percent of his first-serve points (42 of 54), hit 33 winners, saved all four break points he faced while breaking Shelton’s serve three times in 12 tries, and outpointed his opponent 107-86.
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During his on-court interview, Sinner was asked about his physical condition. He said: “I was struggling [against Spizzirri], we go day by day.
“I had a great win couple of days ago against a fellow Italian [Luciano Darderi] which gives you a good confidence boost. Today, I felt like I was moving a little bit better. I felt like I was strong physically. … I’m very happy to be in the semis again.”
Another run to the pointy end in Melbourne for @BenShelton pic.twitter.com/TugxVYnqpx
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 28, 2026
Meanwhile, Shelton said during his post-match news conference that he believes he’s a different player than he was a year ago.
“I felt like when I played Jannik here last year, the conditions were a lot better for me, and my level faded quickly in that match,” he said. “The last two sets weren’t contentious at all, even though I served for the first set.
“Jannik is a very tough out. I think that was one of the tough things that I dealt with today. I felt like, as well as I was hitting the ball. I couldn’t get him out of his rhythm as much as I wanted to.”
We are so ready for the next chapter of Sinner vs Djokovic at AO 2026 pic.twitter.com/0DQIh05A5U
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 28, 2026
Rybakina, Pegula prevail to set up semifinal showdown
Elena Rybakina reached her first Australian Open semifinal in three years – and sealed it with an ace. On Wednesday afternoon, the No. 5 seed from Kazakhstan dominated No. 2 seed Iga Swiatek of Poland, in all facets of the game. She won convincingly, 7-5, 6-1, over the six-time major champion in one hour and 35 minutes on Rod Laver Arena to reach the last four.
The 26-year-old, World No. 5 achieved her eighth straight win against Top-10 opponents – and did it with outstanding serving, which included 11 aces, and soft power, too. She accumulated 26 winners, converted four of seven break points and outpointed Swiatek 67-47. She benefited from 25 unforced errors by the Polish star, who was bidding for a career Grand Slam at the Australian Open.
Fun fact: Rybakina hasn’t dropped a single set on her way to the semifinal and she sealed the deal with an ace here! @wwos • @espn • @tntsports • @wowowtennis • #AO26 pic.twitter.com/rHB2l8dOKn
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 28, 2026
“We know each other pretty well and I was just trying to stay aggressive,” Rybakina said during her on-court interview. With her latest win over Swiatek, she leveled their career head-to-head at 6-6. This time, Rybakina remained composed throughout and her quiet confidence rewarded her.
“I feel like in the first set for both of us, the first serve was not really working. So, we tried to step in on the second serve, put pressure on each other, and I think in the second I just started to play more free, serve better. I’m just really happy with the win.”
Ruthless Rybakina, through to her 4th career Grand Slam semifinal pic.twitter.com/h2Ei8lkvWZ
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 28, 2026
As for Swiatek, she will have to wait another year to continue her quest to achieve a career Grand Slam. “I know what I need to improve,” she said.
“I’m not happy with the results,” Swiatek added. “It was a high-intensity match. First set was tight, [a] few points made the difference. In the second set, she improved the serve, she was going for the shots, and it got much tougher.”
By reaching the last eight, the 24-year-old Swiatek became the youngest woman to reach six consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinals since Serena Williams achieved the feat in 2003 at Wimbledon.
We’ll see you back in ’27, @iga_swiatek pic.twitter.com/hK0VCbFXcZ
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 28, 2026
Meanwhile, Rybakina will face World No. 6 Jessica Pegula of the United States in Thursday evening’s second semifinal. Thursday afternoon on Rod Laver Arena, Pegula advanced to the AO semifinals for the first time after faltering in the quarterfinals three consecutive times from 2021-23. She dominated World No. 4 and fellow American Amanda Anisimova, 6-2, 7-6 (1), in one hour and 35 minutes.
Pegula won 70 percent (26 of 37) of her first-serve points, hit 20 winners, converted four of 11 break points and outpointed Anisimova 77-56. The victory improved her head-to-head against Anisimova to 4-0. It also marked Pegula’s 14th victory in her past 15 matches against American opposition.
Pegula came to play and WIN
First #AusOpen semifinal for the American!@wwos • @espn • @tntsports • @wowowtennis • #AO26 pic.twitter.com/T9Bkl4ThmG
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 28, 2026
“I mean, I’ll take it,” the 31-year-old Pegula said, laughing, when she learned of her impressive run. “I’ll take those bragging rights. I guess it’s something I pride myself a little bit on, especially against some of the younger girls.
“It’s kind of like a ‘hey, you’re not quite there yet’, maybe a little bit – a little nod to that.”
After sprinting to a 4-1 lead in the opening set, Pegula maintained the upper hand throughout much of the match. Although Anisimova managed to hit 18 winners, she won only 58 percent (25 of 43) of her first-serve points and made a whopping 44 unforced errors.
“Really happy with my performance today,” said Pegula, who has won back-to-back matches against Top-10 opponents after taking out defending champion and World No. 9 Madison Keys two days earlier. “I thought from start to finish there was a lot of momentum swings, but I thought I came out playing really well, came out serving really well, and was able to just hold on there in the second and get that break back and take it in two.
“So, I think I showed some good mental resilience there at the end not to get frustrated. Just really happy with everything today.”
Joy for Jessica
Welcome to your first AO semifinal, @JPegula pic.twitter.com/WG7KDw2vRQ
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 28, 2026
After reaching the finals of consecutive majors, at last year’s Wimbledon Championships and the US Open, Anisimova was eliminated in the quarterfinals in her seventh appearance in Melbourne.
“I think making the quarters is a good result,” Anisimova said during her post-match news conference. She’s now the second youngest player, at age 24, to make the quarterfinals at all four Grand Slams this decade after Swiatek.
“I feel like sometimes I was able to find myself in the match and find my way back into it somehow,” Anisimova said. “The fact that [Pegula] just plays such consistent tennis, it’s not easy, but then again, you know, you have to make at least two or three balls in the court.”
Around the Australian Open
Only three women in the Open Era have won both the mixed doubles and women’s doubles at a single Australian Open: Hsieh Su-Wei in 2024, Rennae Stubbs in 2000 and Margaret Court in 1969. Until Wednesday, American Taylor Townsend was in the chase to add her name to the prestigious list. However, she came up short in both disciplines.
Townsend was in action in the mixed doubles semifinals with partner Nikola Mektic of Croatia against defending champions Olivia Gadecki and John Peers of Australia, who received a wild card into the main draw. Townsend and Mektic lost to Gadecki and Peers, 7-6 (2), 2-6, 13-11.
Gadecki and Peers will face French pair Kristina Mladenovic and Manuel Guinard, who upset No. 2 seeds Luisa Stefani of Brazil and Marcelo Arevelo of El Salvador, 6-2, 3-6, 10-7, in the mixed doubles final.
Earlier Townsend and Katerina Siniakova of Czechia, the defending champions in women’s doubles, were upset in their quarterfinal-round match against No. 7 seeds Anna Danilina of Kazakhstan and Aleksandra Krunic of Serbia, 6-2, 3-6, 6-0.
Meanwhile, No. 5 seeds Gabriela Dabrowski of Canada and Luisa Stefani of Brazil upset No. 3 seeds and last year’s finalists, Hsieh Su-Wei of Taiwan and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia, 6-1, 7-6 (5). No. 4 seeds Elise Mertens of Belgium and Zhang Shuai of China; and unseeded Ena Shibahara of Japan and Vera Zvonareva of Russia also advanced to the semifinal round.
Bowrey inducted into Australian Tennis Hall of Fame
The last amateur to win the Australian Open title before the Open Era began in 1968, William (Bill) Bowrey, took his place in the Australian Hall of Fame Wednesday in a ceremony on Rod Laver Arena prior to the evening session.
Bowrey unveiled a bronze bust, created by Melbourne sculptor Barbara McLean, which joins the luminaries of Australian tennis in Garden Square at Melbourne Park.
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Tall, athletic and best known for his strong groundstrokes – particularly his backhand – Bowrey’s development was accelerated under the guidance of Australian Davis Cup captain Harry Hopman and he played on the Australian Davis Cup teams in 1968-69.
“I used to practice with (Rod) Laver, Newcombe, (Fred) Stolle and (Roy) Emerson and it was a pleasure to be in that group of people. It was an extraordinary era,” Bowrey said in a statement.
In 1968, Bowrey was top-seeded at the Australian Championships at Kooyong and won the title in a four-set final against Juan Gisbert. He reached the finals of the doubles with Owen Davidson at Wimbledon in 1966 and the US and Australian Championships in 1967.
After retiring, Bowrey became a national coach for Tennis Australia and had a hand in developing and guiding the careers of many juniors, including: Patrick Rafter, Mark Philippoussis, Lleyton Hewitt and Jelena Dokic.
Bowrey described his Australian Tennis Hall of Fame selection as “Unbelievable – I feel very honored that people acknowledge my tennis career,” he said.
Wednesday’s Australian Open results
Thursday’s Australian Open order of play
Quick hits
In men’s doubles, Marcel Granollers of Spain and Horacio Zeballos of Argentina remain in contention to win a third Grand Slam title in four majors. Last year, they won Roland-Garros and the US Open. Now, they’re into the AO semifinals after defeating Brazilians Rafael Matos and Orlando Luz, 6-3, 6-4.
Next, Granollers and Zeballos will face No. 6 seeds Christian Harrison of the United States and Neal Skupski of Great Britain. The other semifinal will be contested between Australian wild cards Jason Kubler and Marc Polmans against Luke Johnson of Great Britain and Jan Zielinski of Poland.
By the numbers
Thirty-eight-year-old Novak Djokovic is through to his 12th major semifinal since turning 35, which is a record.
“Quotable …”
“Not bad, not bad. … I’m very pleased with the tournament so far, and it’s always been my dream to come back after maternity leave back into the Top 10. It’s always been my goal.”
– World No. 12 Elina Svitolina of Ukraine, during her on-court interview Tuesday after defeating World No. 3 Coco Gauff of the United States, after being told she will return to the WTA Top 10 for the fisrst time since 2021 when the new WTA rankings are released next Monday.
