Qualifier Karatsev’s dream run faces Djokovic barrier

Novak Djokovic is one of the best-known sportsmen in the world but his semifinal on Thursday will be against a player he confessed he was unaware of until this year’s Australian Open. The top-ranked men’s player would not be the only one in the tennis circuit who would not have previously heard of the 114th-ranked […]

Novak Djokovic is one of the best-known sportsmen in the world but his semifinal on Thursday will be against a player he confessed he was unaware of until this year’s Australian Open.

The top-ranked men’s player would not be the only one in the tennis circuit who would not have previously heard of the 114th-ranked Russian Aslan Karatsev, 27, before 2021.

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A victory on Thursday at the Rod Laver Arena will make Karatsev the first qualifier to reach a major final in the Open Era, and the lowest-ranked man to reach a Grand Slam final since No. 125 Goran Ivanisevic at Wimbledon in 2001.