1 Response to ao23tsitsipas_khachanov

1. Voo de Mar says:

   January 27, 2023 at 4:17 pm

   Points won by each set: | 39-33, 34-27, 44-44, 28-19 |
   Points won directly behind the serve:
   37 % Tsitsipas – 49 of 129
   28 % Khachanov – 40 of 139

   # [20] Khachanov’s back-to-back major semifinal (quite unexpected) and very similar defeat. This time his match was more intriguing & some drama involved in [4] Tsitsipas’ serving almost gave the Russian higher hopes. In the 1st set at 5-all, the Greek lost his 1st serve due to second time violation – he committed a double fault afterwards, yet at 0/30 he responded being cool & composed. At 3:4 in the 2nd set a machine called him a foot fault (right heel crossed invisible centre mark behind the baseline), later on in that game (deuce) he corrected his position and fired an ace. It seemed Tsitsipas was racing into a straight-set victory, but in the 3rd set he blew a 5:3* lead. In the second tie-break, he led *6:4 as Khachanov erased the double match point with two forehand winners (the second one landed on the baseline). Tsitsipas had already won six matches wasting match points in sets he lost, this experience certainly helped him. He didn’t seem affected by the loss of dramatic set, obtained an early break in the 4th, and held comfortably a couple of times. He didn’t celebrate, it was his second major final & he knew that he’d face in the final his toughest opponent thus far – Djokovic. “These are the moments I’ve been working hard for. To be able to play finals like this, but finals that have bigger meaning than just a final,” the Greek said in his on-court interview. “It’s a Grand Slam final, I’m fighting for the No. 1 spot. It’s a childhood dream to be capturing the No. 1 spot one day. I’m close. I’m happy that this opportunity comes here in Australia and not somewhere else because this is a place of significance.” He lost his three previous Aussie Open semifinals (2019, 2021-22).

   Serve & volley: Tsitsipas 4/6, Khachanov 0/2

   # Comparison of Khachanov’s two major semifinals:
   US Open ’22: Ruud d. Khachanov 7-6, 6-2, 5-7, 6-2… 3 hours 0 minutes… Total points: 128-104
   Aus Open ’23: Tsitsipas d. Khachanov 7-6, 6-4, 6-7, 6-3… 3 hours 21 minutes… Total points: 145-123

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