Novak Djokovic battled past Taylor Fritz to book his spot in the Australian Open semi-final after being made to wait to take to the court. Running deep into the night session, the world No. 1 needed three hours and 45 minutes to defeat the American. He failed to convert any of his break points for the first two hours of the match but went on to win 7-6(3) 4-6 6-2 6-3. Djokovic has never lost the title when he has reached the last four.
Djokovic and Fritz stepped out onto Rod Laver Arena more than two hours later than scheduled after waiting for Coco Gauff to win a marathon match. It was close to 5pm local time by the time they started playing, with the night session set to begin at 7pm. And the first game of the match set the tone as fans settled in for another long one.
Fritz needed more than 16 minutes to hold his serve in a nine-deuce game, saving three break points. Djokovic continued to put pressure on the American’s service games but he couldn’t convert any of his break points and suddenly found himself in trouble while serving to stay in the set.
The 36-year-old looked like he was struggling with the heat as he sat down during the changeover at 5-6, wrapping his head in an ice towel and growing frustrated when he failed to catch the attention of his team. Fritz took advantage and had two set points on Djokovic’s serve at 6-5 – his first break points of the match.
But the 10-time champion saved them and forced a tiebreak where he raised his level, dropping just three points. It took an hour and 24 minutes for Djokovic to win the opener 7-6(3) and he celebrated by blowing kisses to Nick Kyrgios, who was in a courtside commentary box.
The 12th seed immediately snapped his momentum, starting the second set with the first break of the match. Djokovic had multiple chances to get back on serve but, just like the first set, he couldn’t convert any of his break points. With more than two hours on the clock, the American took the second set 6-4 shortly before 7pm – when the night session was due to begin.
Meanwhile, Djokovic continued to look for his first break of the match. Finally, on his 16th break point and after two hours and 39 minutes of play, he won his first game on the Fritz serve. The floodgates opened for the top seed, who raced through the third set, breaking the 26-year-old again in the final game to take it 6-2.
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