Stefanos Tsitsipas produced a near-perfect performance to ease into the semi-finals of the Australian Open against Jannik Sinner.
The No4 seed had been pushed to five energy-sapping sets in the previous round against Taylor Fritz.
But against a player tipped as a future Grand Slam champion in Sinner, Tsitsipas raised his game to another level.
The potency of his serve showed in the post-match statistics, winning 78 per cent of points on first serve and 68 per cent on second, while he found his rhythm almost immediately with his potent forehand.
Afterwards, Tsitsipas said the secret to his 6-3 6-4 6-2 victory had been humility. “I knew I was going on the court facing a very good player,” he said. “I tried to focus on my best shots and it kind of paid off more than I thought.
“I am very, very happy with how I served today, how I tried to come in and use my tactics. It just worked.”
Against Sinner, Tsitsipas got the required break in all three sets and not even a 15-minute rain delay during the second set to close the roof and dry the court after a sudden deluge could break his stride.
The 23-year-old had been told by his doctor after undergoing elbow surgery in the off-season that the Australian Open would come too soon but he continued to defy medical expectations as he booked his place in the last four without any pain issues.
Tsitsipas is no stranger to a Grand Slam semi-final – this will be his fifth – but he is still bidding for that maiden major title having only once made a final – losing at the French Open last year.
