TIE-Breakfast - 01/28 Australian Open

Tie-BreakfastJan 28Jan 28, 20263 min

Good morning and welcome back to TIE-Breakfast.

The morning briefing from Ace Cream that tells you everything you need to know before starting your day.

Today is Wednesday, January 28, in Melbourne it's 6:30 PM and it's 21 degrees. OK, let's go.

Today at breakfast

🇮🇹 Musetti's retirement leaves a huge void
🇷🇸 Djokovic reaches semifinal without really playing
🇮🇹 Tonight Sinner seeks his pass to the semi

WHAT HAPPENED OVERNIGHT:

🇮🇹 The Most Bitter Retirement Of This Edition

Lorenzo Musetti was leading 6-4, 6-3 against Novak Djokovic when, at the start of the third set, a muscle problem in his right thigh forced him first to call the physio and then, after an attempt to continue, to raise the white flag.

It's hard to find the right words to describe what happened on Rod Laver Arena. Musetti was playing probably the match of his life, dominating Djokovic with a tactical completeness rarely seen in their previous encounters. Two sets won with authority, the third just begun, and then that gesture no one wanted to see: the hand raised toward the umpire, the lost gaze, the crowd's applause that felt more like a hug than a farewell. Djokovic himself, in a rare moment of absolute honesty, admitted he was "ready to go home" and that "Musetti should have won today." The Serb advances to the semifinal with his 103rd win in Melbourne, surpassing Federer, but he probably knows this victory has a different taste from all the others.

🇷🇸 Djokovic Reaches Semifinal With Two Consecutive Gifts

Novak Djokovic reaches his thirteenth Australian Open semifinal without having to really fight in the last two rounds.

It's a strange situation the Serb finds himself in: Mensik's retirement in the round of 16, Musetti's in the quarterfinals while he was down two sets. Djokovic himself seemed almost embarrassed in his post-match interview, aware that advancing doesn't reflect what was happening on court. At 38 he continues to rewrite records: 103 wins in Melbourne, more than anyone in history, but this time the number counts less than usual. Now he awaits the winner of Sinner-Shelton.

WHAT HAPPENS TODAY:

Jannik Sinner (2) vs Ben Shelton (8) - Evening session at Rod Laver Arena, from 9:00 AM Italian time. Sinner seeks his nineteenth consecutive win in Melbourne and a pass to a semifinal against Djokovic. The head-to-head record is strongly in the Italian's favor (8-1), but Shelton has shown he can create problems in deciding sets. The American, who reached the semifinal last year, will try to use his devastating serve to shorten rallies and disrupt the defending champion's rhythm.