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While Novak Djokovic is gunning for his tenth Australian title, Tsitsipas, Tommy Paul, and Karen Khachanov are looking to win it for the first time. Before that they must scale the semifinal hurdle.
The 2023 Australian Open has lived up to expectations as the first Grand Slam tournament of the year, throwing in many classic matches, upsets right from the first round, and new super-talented players for the future.
Most of these players attained new career feats, broke long-standing records, and claimed significant rises in the ATP rankings, which bodes for a mouthwatering 2023 tennis season ahead.
With the men's singles now down to the last four, here is a look at the semifinalists and their chances of reaching the final for an opportunity of winning the first Grand Slam title of the year.
Stefanos Tsitsipas
The Greek has had an exceptional start to the 2023 season, going unbeaten with nine wins. He has been sharp at the Australian Open, serving well and utilising his forehand to excellent effect.
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With a large contingent of his country's people in Melbourne, Tsitsipas has admitted to feeling right at home. It has helped him reach three previous semifinals, and his victory over a very good Jiri Lehecka 6-3 7-6(2) 6-4 in the quarterfinals is the third time reaching the last four for a third consecutive year (2019, 2021, 2022 and 2023).
The No. 4 seed is playing fantastically under pressure, having won 13 of the 19 games in which he was faced with a break point, putting him ahead as the man that could best push Novak Djokovic to his limits if they square off in the final, which will see him win his first Grand Slam title.
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But not to get carried away as the Greek still faces a potentially dangerous semifinal against Karen Khachanov, who will look to target the weakness of Tsitsipa's backhand, particularly his return.
Karen Khachanov
The Olympic silver medallist, Karen Khachanov, advanced to his second consecutive Grand Slam semifinals over Sebastian Korda 7-6(5) 6-3 3-0 in a match that saw Korda retire mid-third set due to a wrist injury.
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Nonetheless, Khachanov has played excellent tennis at the tournament and should never be underestimated. He has been extremely good in the best-of-five play lately, losing to Carlos Alcaraz, Rafael Nadal, and Casper Ruud in his last 18 matches at Slams.
His weakness comes from being unable to step up against the best opposition and not beaten a Top 10 player since August 2019 (22 attempts). A significant mention is that Tsitsipas has won all five of their previous meetings, dropping only two sets in the process.
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However, if he can find solutions, as he did in wins over Kubler and Frances Tiafoe, he may give Tsitsipas a game. He has to attack Tsitsipas's backhand at all costs, as that is where he can extract the errors and keep most of the rallies at neutral - Winning would probably require him to step out of his comfort zone, and he rarely does that these days.
A win for the Russian means he's back in the top 15, and one more win will see him in the top 10 and rise to Russia's No. 2.
Tommy Paul
Another player with a significant statement at the tournament, Paul, became the first American man since Andy Roddick in 2009 to advance to the Australian Open semifinals after ending the dream run of his compatriot Ben Shelton.
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He has a momentous mountain to overcome in the semifinals against Djokovic, who's favourite for the title.
While many will expect Djokovic to cruise into the final, Paul can still pose some threats as he is a complete player that has several varieties to his game.
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Also, he can have the guts to go for some flashy transitions forward where other opponents have stayed glued to the baseline against Djokovic. This different tactic might give the American a chance as Djokovic has been in a hurry in his last two matches.
If the 35th seed succeeds against the 21 Grand Slam winner, it will be his biggest career win.
Novak Djokovic
The Serb is gunning for his tenth Australian title and looks unstoppable in achieving the feat.
Djokovic is now regarded as the Master of Melbourne, having gone unbeaten in semifinals and finals and on a 39-match winning streak in Australia.
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He looks to have his hamstring issues behind him after crushing Alex De Minaur in straight sets in the round of 16 and being ruthless against Andrey Rublev in the quarterfinals.
Conversely, he has only gotten better at working day and night with his physio to get him in shape and playing without pain. Such is the dedication that the 35-year-old with 21 Major titles has, and still has that hunger to achieve more.
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Though Paul will try to gain some valuable points and perhaps cause an upset which looks unlikely, Djokovic would be ready for any fight in his quest for a 93rd career title.
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