Australian Open 2024 LIVE: Scores, Updates & Results

Third consecutive semifinal for Alexander Zverev at the Australian Open. The world number three beat Learner Tien in the first men’s quarter-final, played with the roof closed due to the infernal heat that Melbourne offers today, with a sensation of being in a gigantic furnace. Shortly before the match the Heat Stress Scale reached 5, the maximum level, so Rod Laver Arena became an indoor pitch until the end. The German won 6-4 6-7 (5) 6-1 7-6 (0) in 3 hours and 11 minutes, offering an excellent service performance (24 aces for him and 73% of first serves), but despite everything he struggled quite a bit to get the better of Michael Chang’s student. The feeling is that Tien, born in 2005, is still inevitably behind on a physical level compared to the top players, but if he manages (and knowing the type, he will succeed) to take this further step forward, he will be someone who will annoy many. Zverev asserted his greater habit of playing at these paces and levels (it was Tien’s first slam quarter-final), but the American played an excellent match, intelligent and taking advantage of the opportunities. It wasn’t enough to beat Sasha, who is now waiting for one of Carlos Alcaraz or Alex de Minaur, who will take to the pitch this morning no earlier than 10.30am Italian time.
TROPPA SABALENKA Iva Jovic, 18, is still too young to be able to bother world number one Aryna Sabalenka, but there is no doubt that the American is already a solid certainty, rather than a hope. The first quarter-final of the women’s singles, played on the open roof of the Rod Laver Arena (it was not yet level 5 of the Heat Stress Scale, it would be reached shortly after), ended with the Belarusian easy winner in two sets (6-3 6-0), with a second set where the very young Jovic collapsed physically, clearly still not ready to handle the pace of Sabalenka and more generally of this level of tennis, with Aryna the current top exponent. It will happen, Jovic, without a doubt, but for now it’s a no contest, and it shows. The world number one, in her fourth consecutive semi-final in Australia, awaits the winner in the other quarter-final of the scheduled women’s singles, the one that will be staged by the Italian 9 between Coco Gauff and Elina Svitolina. It will be a good semi-final anyway, whether the American wins or the Ukrainian wins. In the latter case, the off-field implications that there would be (also due to the not exactly extraordinary relationship between Aryna and Elina) would certainly make the match very heartfelt.