An old steed in the stable still aspires to gallop a thousand miles! Djokovic defeats Sinner in five sets, returning to the final after three years

On January 30, 2026, the 13th day of the Australian Open unfolded. In the second men's singles semifinal, ten-time champion Djokovic battled through five sets to overcome two-time defending champion Sinner 3-6/6-3/4-6/6-4/6-4, reaching the Australian Open men's final for the first time in three years.

Jay Chou, Eason Chan, and Wang Junkai watched the match live

In this match, Sinner quickly broke serve early to seize the advantage and took the first set 6-3. In the second set, Djokovic’s steady serving and aggressive net play began to pay off; after breaking in the fourth game and saving four break points, he maintained his lead to even the score at 6-3.

Sinner

In the third set, Djokovic’s physical fatigue started to show, with several moments of visible struggle and heavy breathing, yet he stubbornly held his serve. However, in the crucial tenth game, Sinner broke through to take the set 6-4 and lead overall. In the fourth set, Djokovic responded with a resilient break in the first game and then solidly held serve to win 6-4, leveling the match once again.

Djokovic

In the deciding set, both players held serve through the first six games. In the seventh game, Djokovic came back from 15-40 down to win four consecutive points and break serve, then saved three break points by winning five straight points to hold serve. When serving for the match, despite missing a prime net opportunity on his second match point, Djokovic sealed victory on his third, clinching the entire match!

Djokovic’s victorious moment

This marks Djokovic’s 11th appearance in the Australian Open men’s final, where he has previously remained undefeated at Melbourne Park. Waiting for him across the net will be world No.1 Alcaraz, aiming to complete the career Grand Slam. For Sinner, this defeat ends his attempt to win the Australian Open three years in a row and breaks his streak of reaching five consecutive Grand Slam finals and four straight hard-court Slam finals.

Photos by Li Xiaohui / Wang Ziying: Visual China Group

The wheelchair women’s doubles final kicked off today, with top seeds Chinese duo Li Xiaohui and Wang Ziying defeating second seeds Zhu Zhenzhen and Ueji Yui 6-4/6-3 to successfully defend their title. This victory marks their fourth Grand Slam doubles championship together. Having remained unbeaten in Grand Slam events since last year’s Wimbledon, they are poised to chase a calendar-year Grand Slam at this year’s French Open!

In wheelchair women’s singles, third seed Li Xiaohui staged a thrilling comeback over top seed Ueji Yui, winning 3-6/6-2/7-6(10-8) after a 2-hour 14-minute battle. Tomorrow, she will challenge Dutch legend De Groot for her first Grand Slam singles title and the chance to become the tournament’s double champion. De Groot herself won a tight three-set match 6-4/3-6/7-6(11-9) against last year’s Wimbledon champion and fourth seed Wang Ziying.

Photos by Gaidzki / Pearce: Visual China Group

In the junior girls’ singles quarterfinals today, both Chinese hopefuls fell short: sixth seed Sun Xinran lost 6-3/5-7/5-7 after missing a match point on serve to Tupitsyna; eleventh seed Shao Yushan was defeated 5-7/3-6 by Zolotareva. The adult mixed doubles title was claimed by local wildcard pair Gaidzki and Pearce, who overturned a first-set loss to win 4-6/6-3/10-8 in the final, becoming the first team since Novotna and Pugh in 1988-89 to successfully defend the mixed doubles crown at the Australian Open.

Results from Day 13 of the 2026 Australian Open

(Text and results by Dato)