Australian Open semifinal preview

We now know the final four in the men’s draw and women’s draw at the 2024 Australian Open. Let’s take a look at who will play who.

(2) Aryna Sabalenka–BLR vs. (4) Coco Gauff–USA

This is a fascinating battle of grand slam champions. Sabalenka is the defending Australian Open champion and Gauff is the reigning United States Open champion. Gauff has won four of six matches head-to-head. Gauff’s wins came in the second round of Lexington in 2020 (7-6, 4-6, 6-4), third round of Rome in 2021 (7-5, 6-3), third round of Toronto in 2022 (7-5, 4-6, 7-6) and the 2023 United States Open final (2-6, 6-3, 6-2). Sabalenka’s wins came in the second round of the 2020 Ostrava Open in the Czech Republic (1-6, 7-5, 7-6), and the quarterfinals of Indian Wells in 2023 (6-4, 6-0).

(12) Qinwen Zheng–CHN vs. Dayana Yastremska–UKR

Yastremska is making tennis headlines as she is the first Australian Open semifinalist to be a qualifier in the women’s draw since 1978. This is their first head-to-head meeting.

(1) Novak Djokovic–SRB vs. (4) Jannik Sinner–ITA

Djokovic is a 24-time grand slam champion (10 Australian Opens, three French Opens, seven Wimbledons and four United States Opens). Sinner reached the semifinals of Wimbledon in 2023. Djokovic has won four of six meetings. Djokovic won 6-4, 6-2 in the second round of Monte Carlo in 2021, won 5-7, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 in the quarterfinals of Wimbledon in 2022, won 6-3, 6-4 7-6 in the semifinals of Wimbledon in 2023, and won 6-3, 6-3 in the final of the 2023 ATP Finals. Sinner’s wins came in the 2023 ATP Finals group stage, 7-5, 6-7, 7-6, and in the 2023 Davis Cup Final, 6-2, 2-6, 7-5.

(3) Daniil Medvedev–RUS vs. (6) Alexander Zverev–GER

Here we have Medvedev, the 2021 United States Open champion, against Zverev, the 2020 United States Open finalist. Medvedev has won 11 of 18 meetings overall. Medvedev won the last meeting, 7-6, 6-4 in the ATP Finals in Turin in the fall. Remarkably, even though Medvedev and Zverev have played against each other 18 times, they have never played against each other at a major. Zverev made tennis headlines on Wednesday, for his sensational quarterfinal win over the second seed, Carlos Alcaraz of Spain, 6-1, 6-3, 6-7, 6-4.