MELBOURNE, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- Emerging superstar Jannik Sinner climbed a mountain after dethroning top-ranked Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open in a possible changing of the guard in men's tennis, but he knows his Grand Slam coronation has not yet been complete.
Fourth seed Sinner continued his irrepressible form with a four-set semifinal victory over 10-time tournament champion Djokovic, who was riding a 33-match winning streak in Melbourne stretching back to 2018.
The 22-year-old sealed his spot in his first Grand Slam final where he will face two-time tournament finalist Daniil Medvedev on Sunday night at a capacity Rod Laver Arena.
A new men's champion will be crowned at the Australian Open after Djokovic's remarkable dominance of the tournament ended to the red-hot Sinner, who has lived up to expectations after a brilliant finish to last season.
"Obviously, it means so much to me to beat Novak here in Melbourne, but in another way, I know that the tournament is not over," Sinner said. "Sunday is a final. It's different emotions because the final is always different.
"I'm looking forward to Sunday, and let's see what's coming."
Sinner will start favorite despite having never played under the bright lights of a Grand Slam final, while Medvedev has reached this stage for the fifth time. His only Major title was at the US Open in 2021 when he stunned Djokovic in straight sets.
But the hype is in overdrive for Sinner, who did not lose a set in the tournament before the semifinals. Along with two-time Grand Slam winner Carlos Alcaraz, the Italian is now being widely viewed as taking men's tennis into a new era after the long-time stranglehold of Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.
Sinner should be far fresher than 27-year-old Medvedev, who has pushed his body to the limit during a grueling campaign. The third seed has endured three five-set matches with the most recent being a miraculous semifinal comeback over sixth seed Alexander Zverev when he rallied from two sets down.
His bid for a second Grand Slam title looked over when he fell down two sets against Emil Ruusuvuori in the second round before digging deep to win a thriller that finished at 3.40 a.m. local time.
Medvedev also overcame a titanic four-hour quarterfinal with ninth seed Hubert Hurkacz.
"Mentally 100 percent, I'm stronger than I was before this tournament, because now I know that I'm capable of some things maybe I thought I'm not," Medvedev said.
"Because before I didn't do anything like this to get to the final, so mentally I'm stronger than before, and I'm happy about it."
Medvedev will need to again find resolve in a bid to turn around a record that he once dominated against Sinner. After winning their first six career meetings, Medvedev fell three straight times late last season as Sinner went up a level.
Sinner's improved serving and more aggressive court coverage, where he is notably more comfortable attacking the net, rattled Medvedev and will force the famously deep-thinking Russian to ponder his tactics with the Australian Open title up for grabs.
"The three matches, all of them were tough. I had my chances," Medvedev said. "I was maybe at 97, 96 percent, and against him you need to be at 100," said Medvedev. ■
