Novak Djokovic beat Denis Shapovalov 6-3 6-4 at the Adelaide International on Friday to set up a semifinal with Daniil Medvedev. (More Tennis News)
The combined ATP-WTA event is a warmup for this year's Austral♌ian Open, which the top-seeded Djokovic missed last year after being barred from the country beca✱use he was not vaccinated against COVID-19.
Medvedev, the runner-up last year to Rafael Nadal in the Australian Open, defeated fe𒐪llow Russian Karen Khachanov 6-3 6-3 on F꧂riday.
"It's never easy to play your compatriot," Medvedev s♑aid.
"I'm happy that I manꦗaged to really raise my level, especially in the end of both sets, and really happy to be through to the semis."
Medvedev is the 2021 US Open champion, but has lost twice in the finals🎐 in Australia ꦫ— and in 2021 it was against Djokovic.
"For sure I play💜ed well last year and I'm playing well right now," Medvedev said, "To be honest, thᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚat's all that matters. In order to win a slam, or be in the final, you have to be at your best for seven matches."
"I managed to do it once and I was reaꦏlly close🔜 last year," he added.
";And that's what I'm going to try to do again in a few weeks in M♒elbourne.🌞"
In other quarterfinals on Friday, American Sebastian Korda defeated sixth-seeded Jannik Sinner 7-5, 6-1 and Yoshihito Nishioka💟 of Japan beat Alexei Popyrin of Australia. Korda will face Nishioka in the semifinals.
Teenage qualifier Linda Noskova also beat two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka. The 18-yearﷺ-old Czech player overcame Azarenka 6-4 6-7(3) 7-6 (6) in a quarterfinal that lasted nearly three hours.
A first-round winner over third-seeded🌌 Daria Kasatkina, Noskova has now won five consecut﷽ive matches in only her sixth appearance in the main draw of a WTA event.
World No. 5 Aryna Sabalenka was the🐷 first woman through to the sꦺemifinals after beating Marketa Vondrousova 6-3 7-5.
