Top seeded Novak Djokovic will face Russian surprise package Aslan Kartsev in the semifinal of the 2021 Australian Open on Friday, February 19, with the match likely to begin at around 11 am local time (12 noon BST or 7 pm Eastern Time previous day). Get the live streaming options of this Novak Djokovic v Aslan Kartsev match along with its preview, head to head, and tips here.
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Novak Djokovic v Aslan Kartsev Head to Head
Djokovic and Karatsev have never played each other before this.
Also Read:
Djokovic Improves to 7-0 after Zverev Win
There has been a heavy gap between the quality of Djokovic and the rest for some time, especially on the hard courts of the Australian Open but even a semi-fit Djokovic is making life difficult for his opponents. And that was proved yet again in his quarterfinal against Alexander Zverev.
The German is no mug, having reached the final of the US Open last year and taken a two-set lead against Dominic Thiem in that match. In this encounter, Zverev won the first set in a tie-breaker and while he went down in the second, Djokovic then fell 4-1 behind in the third.
A racquet-smash followed soon after and almost magically, the Serb was transformed. He reeled off the next five games in a row, including two breaks of serve to complete a two sets to one lead.
Djokovic again lost his serve early in the fourth set, going down 3-0, but a comeback was only around the corner. He levelled things off soon after, pushed the match into a tie-breaker and then off the second match-point he got, the Serb converted it and clinched the victory.
Earlier in the tournament, Djokovic has already been stretched to a four-setter by Frances Tiafoe, a five-setter by Taylor Fritz and a four-setter by Milos Raonic.
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Incredible Karatsev Makes Semis on Debut
He was ranked 253rd in the world when tennis resumed in August last year after the break, before entering this year’s Australian Open at 114th. Having to qualify for the competition with three wins, the Russian made it to the main draw of his first ever major, having failed to do so in nine previous attempts.
Earlier on Tuesday, he has become the first player ever to make it as far as the semifinals for someone making his debut at a Grand Slam, and fifth qualifier to do so.
Some might call Karatsev lucky after his opponent Dimitrov began to suffer from a fitness issue related to his back muscle, and by the time they were tied at one set apiece, he was barely able to walk, let alone field returns from the Russian.
However, that doesn’t take into account the fact Karatsev was a set down and faced seven break-point opportunities in the first couple of games of the second set before turning things around.
Karatsev had already defeated Diego Schwartzman and Felix Auger-Aliassime in his previous couple of rounds, needing a five-setter against the latter where he had come back from two sets down to shock the Canadian.
These, like earlier, are unfamiliar territories for Karatsev but a fighting effort like he has been dishing out all tournament will be something to expect out of him against his much higher-ranked opponent.
Djokovic v Kartsev Prediction and Tip
After having faced opponents of way better pedigree, Djokovic should have this easy on paper but on the flip-side the disadvantage is he hasn’t played Karatsev and not really seen his game before this. Once Djokovic gets used to it, it might not be much of a bother for him but that also means the Russian could push Djokovic early in the encounter.
Tip: Karatsev to win a set: 1/1 (bet365)
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The 2021 Australian Open will be played from February 8 to 21. You can watch & bet on the these matches here. Get your latest premium tennis predictions here.
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