Novak Djokovic reaches his ninth Australian Open Final after overcoming stomach injury problems and an inspired effort from 114th-ranked underdog Aslan Karatsev
- Novak Djokovic reached the Australian Open final with defeat of Aslan Karatsev
- The world No.1 overcame the unfancied Russian in straight sets 6-3, 6-4, 6-2
- The injured Serbian now faces Daniil Medvedev or Stefanos Tsitsipas in final
Novak Djokovic reached the Australian Open final for the ninth time in his career after stopping underdog Aslan Karatsev on his remarkable run.
The World No.1 has been struggling with a stomach injury for much of the tournament but they were not on show in this tie as he powered past the 114th-ranked shock semi-finalist, winning 6-3, 6-4, 6-2.
It was ultimately a welcome comfortable evening for Djokovic, after an injury-hit display against Taylor Fritz and a nail-biting victory over Alexander Zverev in the quarter-finals.
Novak Djokovic reached the Australian beat Aslan Karatsev in Australian Open semi-final
The World No.1 overcame a mighty effort from 114th-ranked Russian Aslan Karatsev (left)
The Serbian will have two days to recover ahead of facing either Daniil Medvedev or Stefanos Tsitsipas as he bids to win his 18th Grand Slam.
Karatsev, whose remarkable run to this stage has been one of the stories of the grand slam,made Djokovic work all the way to claim the victory. An amazing rally won by the Russian in the first set earned a thumbs up from his established opponent.
It looked a long way back for the Russian after Djokovic took the second after a long decider before breaking him straight away in the third, he still gave himself hope, though, as he rallied to break the Serbian to make it 2-2.
But Djokovic inflicted another blow by immediately breaking twice more to see out the contest in front of a returning crowd at the Rod Laver Arena.
Spectators were able to return to the Rod Laver Arena following a five-day local lockdown