Former world No 1 Novak Djokovic's Australian Open preparations suffered a blow on Friday as he was bundled out of the Brisbane International by towering American Reilly Opelka.
The 2.11 metre Opelka served magnificently and returned just as well to stun the 24-time Grand Slam winner 7-6 (8/6), 6-3.
Djokovic had gone into the tournament insisting that at 37 he still had the game to trouble the younger players.
But Opelka, 27, a former world number 17 who was out of the game for almost two years from 2022-24 following hip and wrist surgeries, dominated the Serb and wrapped up a comfortable win in an hour and 40 minutes.
Job done ✅
— ATP Tour (@atptour) January 3, 2025
Reilly Opelka takes out Djokovic 7-6 6-3 to reach the last 4 in Brisbane 💪@BrisbaneTennis | #BrisbaneTennis pic.twitter.com/8Sjj6sSF65
Opelka came back to the sport in July last year but showed his serve has lost none of its potency in his time away.
He served 16 aces and only faced one break point throughout the match.
"He's the greatest player ever," Opelka said of Djokovic.
"The reality is we have nothing to lose coming in against him. You end up playing more freely and you take a lot more risks because it's your only chance of beating him.
"It's tough for him, because you get guys like me who are going to roll the dice, and on a day like this things go my way, and that's how it worked out."
Opelka now faces another huge server in the semifinals, rising French star Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, who made it 75 aces in three matches as he beat Czech player Jakub Mensik, 7-5, 7-6 (7/5).
Smile if you're into the semis 😄@MpetshiG takes out Mensik in straight sets to book his place in the @BrisbaneTennis SF 🙌#BrisbaneTennis pic.twitter.com/gzXUPeRsVp
— ATP Tour (@atptour) January 3, 2025
SABALENKA THROUGH
The second semifinal will see defending champion and second seed Grigor Dimitrov up against another Czech, Jiri Lehecka.
In the women's semifinals, world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka overpowered Marie Bouzkova in straight sets.
Sabalenka, who has won the last two titles at the Grand Slam in Melbourne, beat the Czech player 6-3, 6-4 in a tough match lasting 1hr 45mins.
Next stop: 𝐒𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐬 📍@SabalenkaA defeats Bouzkova in straight sets to reach the final 4 in Brisbane!#BrisbaneTennis pic.twitter.com/4zmtzBFZux
— wta (@WTA) January 3, 2025
She now plays Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva, who defeated Tunisia's Ons Jabeur 6-4, 7-6 (7/2).
The 17-year-old Andreeva showcased her rich potential by defeating former world No 2 Jabeur in a high-quality encounter.
Jabeur was runner-up at Wimbledon in 2022 and 2023 but has been out of action since August with a shoulder injury.
Andreeva was able to deal with the tricky shotmaking of Jabeur, breaking her once in the first set and then recovering from two breaks of her own serve in the second set to force a tiebreak.
She raced through the tiebreak to wrap up the match in 90 minutes.
Mirra, Mirra🪞
— wta (@WTA) January 3, 2025
Mirra Andreeva has booked her ticket into the semifinals after defeating Jabeur 6-4, 7-6!#BrisbaneTennis pic.twitter.com/NBtFa9WBry
"It was mentally hard to keep pushing and playing aggressively because we all know that she's very good at playing games – drop shots, slices," Andreeva said.
The second women's semifinal will be between Russian qualifier Polina Kudermetova and Ukraine's Anhelina Kalinina.
From qualies to semis 🔜
— wta (@WTA) January 3, 2025
Polina Kudermetova defeats Krueger 7-6(5), 6-3 to reach the Brisbane semifinals.#BrisbaneTennis pic.twitter.com/0yFSrcEFAo
The Australian Open starts on 12 January.