Novak Djokovic cruises to Australian Open finals

Novak Djokovic defeated Aslan Karatsev in straight sets to advance to the Australian Open finals, putting the Serbian star in prime position to win the Grand Slam title for the ninth time in his career.

The 33-year-old handled his Russian opponent with ease, needing less than two hours to advance. This was Karatsev's first major tournament appearance in his career and the 114th-ranked 27-year-old made it much further than most were expecting but was no match for Djokovic.

Djokovic has been absolutely dominant at the Australian Open over the course of his career, going 9-0 in semifinal matches at the season-opening tournament. Plus, he is undefeated at the finals. Djokovic admitted that his previous success at the Australian Open has given him confidence during this tournament.

"The more I win, the better I feel coming back," he said. "The love affair continues."

And Djokovic will certainly be considered the heavy favorite no matter who he faces in the finals, as No. 4 Daniil Medvedev and No. 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas are set to face off on Friday. Neither of his two potential opponents have won a Grand Slam title, while Djokovic is hoping to win his 18th, putting him just two behind Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal on the all-time list. Most expected Nadal to face Djokovic in the finals but he was upset by Tsitsipas in the quarterfinals.