Australian Open 2023 SF: Novak Djokovic vs Tommy Paul – Preview, Head-to-Head, and Prediction

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4th seed Novak Djokovic takes on Tommy Paul of the USA in the semifinals of the 2023 Australian Open on Friday.

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Image Credits – CNN

Novak Djokovic

The 35-year-old has been in sensational form as of late. He has lost just one set in the Australian Open thus far and is looking quite invincible.

Djokovic got off to a flying start as he defeated Roberto Carballes Baena in the first round. He followed it up with a win in four sets against the French qualifier Enzo Couacaud. The third round saw the former world No. 1 take on 27th seed Grigor Dimitrov. The first set was a close affair but once Djokovic won it, the rest of the match turned out to be one-way traffic. Djokovic won the match 7-6 (9-7), 6-3, 6-4. In the fourth round, Djokovic made light work of the talented Alex de Minaur, winning the match in straight sets 6-2, 6-1, 6-2. The 21-time Grand Slam champion went on to defeat 5th seed Andrey Rublev 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 in the quarterfinals. With this win, Djokovic made it to the semifinals in Melbourne for the 10th time in his career.

Tommy Paul

The talented American player is living his dream. He has managed to reach the semifinals of a Grand Slam for the first time in his career.

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Tommy Paul

Paul started the campaign with a relatively comfortable win against Jan-Lennard Struff in the first round. He hit a whopping 20 aces in the match. In the second round, Paul had to dig deep to get past 30th seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-2, 2-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-3, 6-4. Paul registered a thumping win against compatriot Jenson Brooksby in the third round. The match ended 6-1, 6-4, 6-3. The 25-year-old defeated 24th seed Roberto Bautista Agut in four sets 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, 7-5. Paul’s quarterfinal opponent was a fellow American player and find of the tournament – Ben Shelton. Paul has to fight hard to finish the match in four sets 7-6 (8-6), 6-3, 5-7, 6-4.

Head-to-Head and Prediction

Novak Djokovic and Tommy Paul will be facing each other for the first time. The head-to-head scoreline currently stands at 0-0.

Prediction: Novak Djokovic to win in straight sets.

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