Australian Open: Novak Djokovic doesn’t win a set in quarterfinal match, yet advances to semifinals
Novak Djokovic won zero sets in the fourth round of the 2026 Australian Open. He won zero sets in the quarterfinal of the 2026 Australian Open.
And now he’s about to play in his 13th Australian Open semifinal.
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The 10-time Australian Open champion survived a two-set deficit in the quarterfinal on Wednesday after opponent Lorenzo Musetti, the tournament’s No. 5 seed, was forced to retire with an injury in the third set while up 6-4, 6-3, 1-3.
It was a brutal scene for the 23-year-old Italian, who held a 1-9 record against Djokovic going into the match.
Djokovic praised Musetti as deserving of the win in his post-match interview:
“I don’t know what to say except for I feel sorry for him. He was the far better player, I was on my way home tonight. Don’t know what to say, these kind of things happen in sport. It happened to me a few times. You know, being in quarters of a Grand Slam up two sets to love up and being in full control. I mean, so unfortunate. I don’t know what else to say. I wish him a speedy recovery and he should’ve been the winner today no doubt.”
Fortune has been kind recently for Djokovic, who advanced past the fourth round in a walkover after No. 16 seed Jakub Menšík pulled out with an abdominal injury. However, he’s about to reach the same stage of the tournament where he’s bowed out in the past two years, having retired in 2025 while facing Alexander Zverev and losing to Jannik Sinner in 2024.
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Sinner will again face Djokovic in the semifinals. Djokovic is in search of an unprecedented 25th Grand Slam men’s singles title, but the recent reign of Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have caused his current drought to extend into a third year. Djokovic hasn’t won a Slam since the 2023 US Open and if he doesn’t win this tournament, it will officially be the longest he’s gone without a title since his first one in 2008.
