Ten-time winner of the Australian Open, Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic advanced to the semifinals of the first Grand Slam tournament of the season after the Italian Lorenzo Musetti handed him the quarterfinal match due to a groin injury he suffered at the beginning of the third set.
Musetti won the first two sets 6-4, 6-3 and appeared to be on his way to his first semi-final in Melbourne, but he was injured at the beginning of the third set. Even medical treatment didn’t help him, so with Djokovic leading 3-1 in that part of the match, he decided to give up the match.
This is the second consecutive duel in which Djokovic passes after surrendering his opponentin the 4th round he didn’t even have to go on the field because the Czech Jakub Menšik handed him over without a fight.
In the semifinals, Djokovic will play against the winner of the match between defending champion Italian Jannik Sinner and American Ben Shelton.
On Tuesday, Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz and German Alexander Zverev won the semi-finals.
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
Djokovic: I was on my way home
After Musetti surrendered, Djokovic stated that he was sorry and that he should not have won.
I’m really sorry about Musetti, he was a better playerI was on my way homeDjokovic said after defeating the Italian to reach his 13th semi-final in Melbourne Park, where he triumphed ten times.
He was in complete control, it’s really sad, I don’t know what to say. He should have won todayI was incredibly lucky, but this is sport and things like that can happenDjokovic added.
A heartfelt Novak Djokovic after opponent Lorenzo Musetti was forced to retire while leading two sets to love 💔@wwos • @espn • @tntsports • @wowowtennis • #AO26 pic.twitter.com/MaIFyBJnAf
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 28, 2026
Pegula better than Anisimova, Ribakina kicked out Swiatek
American women won the semi-finals of the women’s tennis tournament Jessica Pegula and a Kazakh woman Jelena Ribakina.
Pegula beat compatriot Amanda Anisimova 6-2, 7-6 (1), while Ribakina was better than the second player in the world, Poland’s Iga Swiatek, 7-5, 6-1.
This is Ribakina’s second semi-final appearance in Melbourne, after she was in the final in 2023. This is Peguli’s best result at a Grand Slam outside the USA, she was a finalist and a semi-finalist at the last two US Opens.
In the semifinals, Ribakina and Pegula joined world number one Arina Sabalenka of Belarus and Elina Svitolina of Ukraine, who won it on Tuesday.
(Hina | Photo: Australian Open)
