Australian Open 2019 Highlights: Djokovic through to semis after Nishikori retires

Men's SF:
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Rafael Nadal
Novak Djokovic vs Lucas Pouille

Women's SF:
Petra Kvitova vs Danielle Rose Collins
Karolina Pliskova vs Naomi Osaka

"Are you inviting me to come to the commentary box from you? I won’t take the spot from Lleyton [Hewitt]. Lleyton is doing a much better job than I would. What did you ask me? Stefanos is one of the leaders of the next generation and has had some outstanding matches at this tournament, especially against Roger. Credit to him for playing so maturely and so well under pressure. It’s never easy playing against the greatest player of all time. Considering how he’s playing I’m not surprised he’s in the semis. Nadal... Good for him. A lot of spin. Great movement. Great backhand. A lot of volleys. He’s very good.”

“I love to battle, especially against Kei. We have played here a couple of times. I hope he can recover. I hope it’s not something very serious. I wish him a speedy recovery. I’m sorry to everybody for not having a full match but thank you for showing up. This is what the doctor ordered for me after a match two nights ago, not to spend too much time on the court. I am in another semi-finals and I will do everything to get ready for that one.”

Kei Nishikori has called it quits as he is unable to carry on. Novak Djokovic through to Australian Open 2019 Semifinal and will face Lucas Poulle.

The struggle continues for Nishikori. A 24th unforced error gives Djokovic a 30-0 lead and Serb easily gets another break. It doesn't look good for Nishikori at the moment. 

Nishkori races to a 40-15 lead and then plays out the final point quite easily to take a 1-0 lead. Seems a bit better now after that medical break. Djokovic, though, holds to make it 1-1. 

It takes him 31 minutes to finish it off and Kei Nishikori has taken a medical timeout. He seems to need treatment on his right thigh. 

A break for the Serb after a second attempt at converting deuce from Nishikori. 

Djokovic overhits a forehand return to make it 40-30 in favour of Nishikori. A double fault from Nishikori makes it deuce. Djokovic then charges at the net and Nishikori tries to hit it out of Djokovic's forehand reach, it bounces on the net and goes out. 

A much more tightly fought contest this but Djokovic gets there in the end. The game is at 40-30 when Djokovic sends Nishikori to both corners of the court before overhitting a sitter at the net. However, he does not make too much difficulty in converting the next two points and takes a three-game lead. 

Djokovic wins the first game to love and he follows that up with a break. In the third game, he races to 40-0 lead before losing a point to double fault. Still holds though. 

Nishikori played a lung-buster in the quarter-final against Carreno Busta. He is back now and he faces possibly the biggest contender for the title in the draw. 

.@DjokerNole has an impressive 15-2 H2H record over #Nishikori.

Will he extend that streak?#AusOpen pic.twitter.com/QVC34ajZEC

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) 23 January 2019

A warm welcome for @keinishikori.

He hasn't beaten #Djokovic since the 2014 US Open. Can he snap that drought tonight?#AusOpen pic.twitter.com/FgluTUv6ci

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) 23 January 2019

The Frenchman won the match 7-6, 6-3, 6-7, 6-4. He keeps his cool and prevails in the end. Sensational stuff. 

And the game goes into the fourth set. Pouille looked set to cruise into his first ever Grand Slam semi-final at the second set but the big Canadian is not one to give up so easy. 

Pouille trailing 5-6 but holds to force the game into tie-breaker. Here we go then. 

As close as it gets now. At 3-2 with the scoreline 40-15, Pouille hit arguably the shot of the match with a lazer of the return forehand that darted past the diving Raonic. Raonic using his giant frame but Pouille is able to find angles to sneak in winners. Fascinating contest now. 

He is inching closer now. He holds for love and an Ace in the end gets him 2/3rd of his way to a Grand Slam semi-final. 

Raonic serving to stay in the set at 5-2. Pouille habrokenke Raonic once in this set and has  set himself up nicely but Raonic manages to get off to a 30-0 lead. Pouille then hits out a forehand return to make it 40-0 before another overhit backhand return makes it game 5-3. 

An exhausting affair, the first set. It went into tie break that Pouille won 7-4. An even contest so far between these two. 

Raoinic took  a 4-1 lead in the first set before Pouille held to cut the deficit down to two. 

"I have played Naomi before. She is dangerous but there is no one more dangerous than Serena so I am going to enjoy this win." 

"She improved her game in the second set. She was more aggressive. At 5-1 in the third set I was almost in the locker room but now I am here. My mind was still here. She did get a little bit shaken in the end, I took my chances and I won."

#AusOpen women's singles semis:

Petra Kvitova vs Danielle Collins

Karolina Pliskova vs Naomi Osaka

1st Australian Open semifinal for Osaka, Pliskova and Collins

— Express Sports (@IExpressSports) January 23, 2019

That is quite unbelievable. Serena collapsed after twisting her knee at 5-1 in the third set. Pliskova pounced, winning six games in a row and pulling off an improbable win. An incredible match and heartbreak for Serena Williams who just about holds back tears as she makes her way into the locker room. 

Serena was 40-30 up and serving for the match before she was called out for a fault while going for a forehand. She then clutches her ankle and loses three consecutive points. 

Pliskova seems to have lost the momentum and is not challenging Williams on the serve too much any more. The American fired two aces to make it 4-1 before another hold makes it 5-1. 

She had to work for this one. Pliskova raced to a 40-15 before Serena made it deuce with two backhand winners. They went back and forth after that, exchanging aces, seven times they exchanged advantages before Serena finally broke her to win the set. Into the third we go. 

Two aces from Serena to make 30-0. Her backhand then stops at the nets before Pliskova hits a forehand long. A good serve after that from Serena and she holds.

The American leads 2-1 now. An ace to take the lead as she holds for love. This doesn't look like a match that can get over in two sets. 

Serena makes it deuce before taking the advantage with a big serve. A backhand winner does it for the American. 

An ace to finish it from the Czech former world no.1. Pliskova took the lead before Serena nipped one back. Three consecutive points after that for Pliskova and she takes the first set. 

Serena won the first game but Pliskova then won three games in a row to take a 3-1 lead. Serena won the next and Pliskova after that. 11 unforced errors so far from the American and that has hurt her. 

The players are out on the court. Serena Williams' coach had said after her quarter finals victory over world number one Simona Halep that she is back to her physical and emotional best. That is not good news for Pliskova, or any player for that matter. 

It's go time.#AusOpen pic.twitter.com/WoeXZWczGo

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) 23 January 2019

Osaka blew away Svitolina in two sets to make her way into another Grand Slam semi-final, her first at the Australian Open. Svitolina was struggling with a niggle halfway into the first set and she never really could pose a challenge in the second. Osaka won 6-4, 6-1. She will face either Serena Williams or Karolina Pliskova. 

Day 2 of the quarter-finals in Melbourne sees Serena Williams and Novak Djokovic hoping to book a place in the semi-finals. Serena will be taking on Czech star Karolina Pliskova, who beat 2017 Wimbledon champion Garbine Muguruza in the fourth round to get here. Before that though, in the women's draw US Open champion Naomi Osaka will be looking to get past Ukrain's Elina Svitolina. If it is Osaka and Serena who win their respective matches, the 2019 Australian Open semi-final will be a repeat of the dramatic 2018 US Open final. Osaka v Svitolina starts at 5.30 am IST while Serena v Pliskova is scheduled for 7.30 am IST.

World no. 1 Djokovic faces Japan's Kei Nishikori, who beat Pablo Carreno Busta in a five-set marathon of a quarter-final. The winner of this match faces either Canada's Milos Raonic, who beat an out-of-sorts Alexander Zverev in the quarters, or France's Lucas Pouille, who beat Croat Borna Coric to get here. Raonic v Pouille is scheduled for 8.45 am IST while Djokovic v Nishikori is scheduled for 2 pm IST.