Novak Djokovic showed a masterclass display of tennis, destroying Andrey Rublev 6-1 6-2 6-4 in toay's quarterfinal match of Australian Open. 9 times AO champion, who is looking better and better with every following match during this tournament despite dealing with an harmstring injury, was a huge favorite ahead of the duel against the Russian who is ranked 6th on the ATP list.
Despite being neighbours in the ranking, the difference of game performance on the court between the players was just overwhelming. Nole was putting an immense pressure on Rublev from the start, forcing his opponent to make errors and created breakpoint chances in all Russian's service games in first set, winning it easily 6-1. Second set was a little tighter contest without breaks in first four games, but then Djokovic accelerated winning 6 games in a row, gaining 6-2 win in second set and break advantage in third, which stayed until the end of this one-way traffic match. It was another display of dominant form from Djokovic, who looks unbeatable for now and is on the best way to grab his 10th win in Melbourne Park.
Tommy Paul achieved his best career's success, achieving the Grand Slam semifinal, after defeating fellowcountry Ben Shelton in four sets 7-6 6-3 5-7 6-4. First set was very tight with both players holding their serves till the tiebreak. 13th game was also a great display of serving performance, while Paul was the first to earn minibreak within a score 6-6, which gave him set win in the result. Paul sat in the driver seat in second set, as he managed to take the first break of the match and extending his lead to two sets. 35th player in ATP rank was close to finish the match in straight sets, as he was dominating the third set, but Shelton did not give up, re-breaking his opponent in 8th game. 20 years-old American managed to defend three breakpoints in next game and break Paul's serve once again in 12th game, closing the gap to just one set down. Paul prevailed to finish the job in fourth set, stopping the momentum of Shelton while gaining a break in first game and not giving away his advantage till the end. 25 years-old American will be a top 20 player since next Monday, as he will advance to at least 19th place in the rankings. Shelton's stunning quarterfinal run will lift him to top 50, as he will gain at least 45 places advancing from 89th spot.
