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Jannik Sinner handing Andrey Rublev his tenth Grand Slam quarterfinal defeat at the 2024 Australian Open has sparked a discussion among tennis fans.
Sinner advanced to his maiden Australian Open semifinal with a 6-4, 7-6(5), 6-3 win over Rublev in two hours and 39 minutes. Despite facing a formidable challenge from the Russian, who led 5-1 in the second set tiebreak, Sinner held his nerve. The Italian won six points in a row to clinch the second set before dominating the third.
Rublev's loss marked his 10th quarterfinals defeat in Grand Slam events, leaving him with a 0-10 record in Major quarterfinals. Tennis fans couldn't help but poke fun at the unenviable streak.
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"Rublev got quartered again," a fan commented.
"0-10 in quarterfinals. Ouch," another fan chimed in.
Several fans suggested that while the World No. 5 was good enough to consistently reach the quarterfinals at Majors, he lacked the necessary skills to challenge the players ranked above him, namely Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, and Jannik Sinner.
"Rublev is the perfect top 8 player - just that he belongs to 5 to 8 and not 1 to 4 range. he consistently makes to final 8 but not to final 4," the fan posted.
"Rublev is just like 1% off the top guys when it matters most. There’s just that icing on the top that’s missing, they have it he doesn’t," another fan wrote.
Here are a few more reactions from fans:
Jannik Sinner to take on Novak Djokovic in blockbuster Australian Open SF
Following his win over Andrey Rublev, Jannik Sinner will be up against a tough challenge in the semifinals of the Australian Open, facing top seed and defending champion Novak Djokovic. The Serb advanced to the semifinals in Melbourne after defeating Taylor Fritz 7-6(3), 4-6, 6-2, 6-3.
Djokovic leads 4-2 in his head-to-head record against Sinner. However, the Italian emerged victorious in two of their three most recent encounters, defeating the World No. 1 in the group stage of the 2023 ATP Finals and the 2023 Davis Cup Finals.
Jannik Sinner acknowledged the difficulty of taking on the 10-time Australian Open champion in Melbourne, but emphasized his determination to deliver his best performance and rise to the challenge.
"I’m really lucky to face him again. This is one of the biggest tournaments in the world. I’m happy I can play against the No. 1 in the world. He won here [10] times, so it’s going to be tough. The only thing that I can control is I will give 100 per cent, I will fight for every ball and then we will see what the outcome will be," Jannik Sinner said in his post-match interview.
