Upset at Brisbane International: Djokovic Falls, Sabalenka Moves On

Sydney, Jan 3 (NationPress) Former World No.1 Novak Djokovic experienced a shocking exit from the Brisbane International during the quarterfinals, as top seed Aryna Sabalenka advanced to the next round on Friday night. Djokovic was defeated 7-6 (6), 6-3 by world number 293 Reilly Opelka in a match that lasted one hour and 40 minutes on the center court, while Sabalenka secured her semifinal spot by beating Marie Bouzkova 6-3, 6-4 in the women’s division.

Opelka, the hard-hitting American, fired 16 aces and achieved the most significant win of his career in his inaugural ATP meeting against Djokovic. After the match, Opelka stated, "The reality is we had nothing to lose coming in against him. He's the greatest player ever so you end up playing more free and you take a lot more risk because it's your only chance. If you play at your normal level, he's going to win every time."

This outcome leaves the 24-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic with 99 career singles titles as he gears up for the Australian Open, a tournament he has won a record 10 times, as reported by Xinhua. Opelka is set to face another powerful server, France's Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, while second seed and defending champion Grigor Dimitrov will compete against Jiri Lehecka.

In other quarterfinal action on Friday, Dimitrov advanced to the semifinals after Jordan Thompson from Australia retired with the score at 6-1, 2-1. Lehecka triumphed over Nicolas Jarry of Chile with a score of 6-4, 6-4 at the Pat Rafter Arena. Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard secured a spot in the semifinals after defeating Jakub Mensik from Czechia 7-5, 7-6(5) in a closely contested match.

Earlier, world number one Sabalenka overcame Marie Bouzkova 6-3, 6-4 in one hour and 44 minutes, setting the stage for a semifinal clash against teen prodigy Mirra Andreeva.

Bouzkova began the match strongly by breaking serve in the first game but was unable to maintain her advantage against the two-time reigning Australian Open champion. In another women's semifinal, world number 107 Polina Kudermetova will take on Anhelina Kalinina.