IMAGO / AAP

Novak Djokovic Upsets Jannik Sinner in Australian Open Semifinal

Originally posted on Serve on SI | By Pat Benson | Last updated Jan 30, 2026 10:52 AM ET

Novak Djokovic received multiple lucky breaks to make it to his semifinal showdown against Jannik Sinner in the Australian Open. However, there was nothing lucky about his hard-fought victory that went to 1:30 a.m. local time. Djokovic took down Sinner in five sets: 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.

The victory ends Sinner's quet for a three-peat in Melbourne, and propels Djokovic into the final. The 38-year-old will meet Carlos Alcaraz for a chance to win his 25th Grand Slam title. This is the first Major final not featuring both Sinner and Alcaraz since last year's Australian Open.

Djokovic tallied 12 aces and three double faults, compared to Sinner's 26 aces and two double faults. Incredibly, Djokovic fended off 16 of 18 break-point chances in the marathon match that lasted 4 hours, 9 minutes.

"I think you guys got the value for the ticket," Djokovic said with a laugh, joking that he deserved 10% of the gate. However, the importance of the victory was not lost on the most accomplished tennis player of all time.

"I'm lost for words right now to be honest," said Djokivc. "It feels surreal to be honest. Playing four hours, it's almost 2 a.m. The level of intensity and the quality of tennis was extremely high. I knew that was the only way for me to have a chance to win tonight."

Sinner narrowly avoided an upset earlier in the tournament when a break in play to close the roof allowed him time to recover from cramping. Despite the semifinal match being played at night, Sinner continues to struggle with long matches. With this defeat, he fell to 0-9 in his career in matches lasting more than 3 hours and 50 minutes.

Djokovic holds a narrow 5-4 lead over Alcaraz in head-to-head matches. Alcaraz won their last meeting in the 2025 US Open semifinal, but Djokovic won in their 2025 Australian Open quarterfinal meeting.

The 2026 Australian Open concludes for the women on Saturday, January 31, and the men on Sunday, February 1.

This article first appeared on Serve on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: