Tsitsipas one step from the highest peak

Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas beat Karen Khachanov of Russia 7-6, 6-4, 6-7, 6-3 in their men’s semifinal match at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on Friday to set up a showdown in the final on Sunday against Serbian megastar Novak Djokovic, who beat Tommy Paul of the US 7-5, 6-1, 6-2. It will be 24-year-old Tsitsipas’ second Grand Slam final and he will meet Djokovic, 35, again after losing at Roland Garros in 2021 despite going two sets up. Should the Greek star beat Djokovic, he will become the World Number One. Djokovic, an all time great of the game, is seeking his 10th Aussie open title and to equal Rafael Nadal’s all-time best 22 Grand Slams. [EPA]