Novak Djokovic reaches his 10th Australian Open final

Novak Djokovic reaches his 10th Australian Open final

Novak Djokovic has qualified for his 10th Australian Open final as he closes in on a record-equalling 22nd Grand Slam crown, with only Stefanos Tsitsipas now standing in his way.

The Serbian fourth seed overcame an early scare to romp past unseeded American Tommy Paul 7-5, 6-1, 6-2 on Rod Laver Arena in style on Friday, January 27.

Another title on Sunday will move him alongside Rafael Nadal with 22 Slam wins and see the 35-year-old return to world number one for the first time since last June.

Greek third seed Tsitsipas, who ground past Russian 18th seed Karen Khachanov 7-6 (7/2), 6-4, 6-7 (6/8), 6-3 in the other semi-final, can also become the top-ranked player should he lift the trophy.

At 24, Tsitsipas is the youngest man to reach the Melbourne final since 23-year-old Djokovic in 2011.

“I dreamed as a kid to maybe one day get to play in this court against the best players in the world,” said Tsitsipas, who is also unbeaten this season with a 10-0 record.

“I’m extremely happy that I’m in the final now and let’s see what happens.”