MELBOURNE — Novak Djokovic’s quest for a record Grand Slam title continued in dramatic circumstances after fifth seed Lorenzo Musetti quit their Australian Open quarterfinal match with an injury after taking a two-set lead at Melbourne Park on Wednesday.

Musetti’s retirement when leading 6-4, 6-3, 1-3 meant Djokovic pulled off a great escape at his most successful hunting ground, with the 10-time champion’s bid for a standalone 25th major to break the tie with Margaret Court still alive.

“I don’t know what to say, except that I feel really sorry for him and he was a far better player,” Djokovic said.

“I was on my way home tonight. These things happen in sport and it’s happened to me a few times, but being in quarterfinals of a Grand Slam, two sets to love up and being in full control, I mean it’s so unfortunate.

“I wish him a speedy recovery and he should have been the winner today, there’s no doubt.”

The 38-year-old Serb returned to action after an extended break following fourth-round opponent Jakub Mensik’s walkover on Sunday, and his freshness showed during a sharp start where he brought plenty of variety and grabbed an early break.

LOOSE POINTS
But some loose points thereafter allowed Musetti to level at 2-2 and the Italian then surged past Djokovic for the first time in the contest with an overhead shot before comfortably wrapping up the opening set on serve.

“My strategy worked very well for the first couple of games and then it changed completely,” Djokovic said.

“I had four winners in the first two games and no unforced errors and then the rest of the match I had another four winners and probably 40 errors. That’s what Lorenzo does to you, makes you play when you think the point is finished.

“When you attack him you don’t know what to expect, whether it’s going to be a passing shot, a crosscourt or a short slice, or if he’s going to go full flat in your body or hit a looping ball to my weakest shot, which is overhead.

“I tried my best… I wasn’t feeling the ball today the first couple of sets but that’s also due to his quality and his variety in the game. I’m extremely lucky to get to get through this one.”

Fiery winners from both flanks helped Musetti break in the opening game of the next set, and though the 23-year-old let the advantage slip immediately, he edged in front again and soon doubled his lead in the match, to leave Djokovic on the ropes.

INJURY TROUBLES
Djokovic soldiered on following treatment for a foot blister and went 2-1 up with a break in the third, when it was Musetti’s turn to call the trainer to the court for what appeared like a right thigh issue.

Musetti looked to manage the problem and play on but he was far from 100% and threw in the towel a game later to gasps from the Rod Laver Arena crowd, handing Djokovic his 103rd match win at the tournament to eclipse Roger Federer’s mark.

Djokovic faces the winner of the quarterfinal between defending champion Jannik Sinner and Ben Shelton.

“I’m going to double my prayers tonight, for sure, and show gratitude to God for giving me this opportunity,” Djokovic said.

“I’m going to do my best in a couple of days to use it… Today I wasn’t happy with my performance but it’s another day in the office and hopefully in a couple of days, I can come out and be at my best, because that’s what’s needed.”

PEGULA SEES OFF FELLOW AMERICAN ANISIMOVA
Jessica Pegula moved into the semifinals of the Australian Open for the first time in her career on Wednesday, with a 6-3, 7-6(1) win over fellow American and fourth seed Amanda Anisimova at Melbourne Park.

The sixth seed, who exited the competition at the quarterfinals stage in 2021, 2022 and 2023, will take on Elena Rybakina for a place in Saturday’s final after the Kazakh defeated Iga Swiatek earlier in the day.

“It’s awesome,” Pegula said of her progress to the last four. “I’ve been able to go deeper in the US Open in the last couple of years, but here was the first slam that I broke through at.

“I was the three- and then four-time quarterfinalist. I was, ‘It’s got to be coming, I’ve got to get to the semis.’

“I feel like I play some good tennis here, I like the conditions and even matches I’ve lost here I’ve played well in so I’ve been waiting for the time when I could break through.”

Pegula raced into a 4-1 lead as a clearly frustrated Anisimova struggled in the early exchanges, surrendering two breaks of serve inside the opening five games to allow her compatriot to go on and claim the first set in 30 minutes.

Anisimova had shown signs of regaining her composure late in the opening set and built on those improvements to put Pegula under pressure, breaking her serve to go 5-3 up in the set only to double-fault in the next game to squander that advantage.

The pair traded breaks to take the second set to a tiebreak, where Pegula kept her cool to prevail over an increasingly agitated Anisimova.

SWIATEK CALLS FOR PLAYER PRIVACY
World number two Swiatek joined a growing chorus of players demanding more privacy off the courts at the Australian Open after cameras captured Coco Gauff in a post-match meltdown that the American said should have been a personal moment.

The incident occurred after Gauff’s 59-minute quarterfinal defeat by Elina Svitolina, when the American retreated behind a wall near the match call area deep in the bowels of the stadium to repeatedly smash her racquet on the ground.

Unbeknownst to the third seed, cameras recorded her every move and the video was broadcast to viewers around the world, with Gauff saying she was unhappy that there was no privacy anywhere except the locker room.

“The question is, are we tennis players or are we animals in the zoo, where they are observed even when they poop?” Swiatek told reporters after she lost 7-5, 6-1 to Rybakina in the quarterfinals on Wednesday.

“Okay, that was exaggerating obviously, but it would be nice to have some privacy. It would be nice also to have your own process and not always be observed.”

Anisimova also said she knew players did not have much privacy at Melbourne Park, adding that she “kept my head down” until she reached the locker room.

“There are good moments obviously that people see and that’s fun. Then, when you lose, there are probably not-so-good moments,” Anisimova said. — Reuters

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