Stefanos Tsitsipas: who is Australian Open 2023 semi-finalist? Date, opponent, how to watch next match on TV

The Greek tennis star Stefanos Tsitsipas has made it to the semi-finals of the Australian Open for a fourth time and for the third consecutive year. The 24-year-old beat Czech Republic’s Jiri Lehecka in three sets in yesterday’s (Tuesday 24 January) and will now prepare to take on the Russian 18th seed Karen Khachanov in Friday’s semi-final.

Tsitsipas has only dropped two sets throughout the entire tournament, both being won in his fourth round battle with Italian tennis star Jannik Sinner. Tsitsipas defeated the French player Quentin Halys 6-3 6-4 7-6 in the first round to set up a meet with the Australian player Rinky Hijikata who was beaten 6-3 6-0 6-2.

The world number four then took on the Netherlands’ Tallon Griekspoor whom he defeated 6-2 7-6 6-3, before taking on 15th seed Jannik Sinner. Sinner came back from two sets down to claim the third and fourth 3-6 4-6 but Tsitsipas fought back to claim the fifth and final set.

As the 24-year-old prepares for his fourth semi-final at Melbourne Park, here is all you need to know about Stefanos Tsitsipas...

Who is Stefanos Tsitsipas?

Born in Athens in 1998, Tsitsipas is the highest-ranked Greek player in history along with fellow current competitor Maria Sakkari. He has nine career titles to his name and one his first Masters 1000 event at the 2021 Monte-Carlo Masters. Tsitsipas then went on to defend his title the following year and was named as the Greek Male Athlete of the Year in 2019.

In 2017, Tsitsipas became the first Greek player to be ranked in the top 100 of the ATP rankings, accomplishing the feat at just 19 years old and the following year, he finished as runner-up in the 2018 Canadian Open becoming the youngest player to defeat four top ten opponents in a single tournament.

In Grand Slams, Tsitsipas has reached the third round of the US Open in 2020, 2021; the fourth round of Wimbledon Championships, four Australian Open semi-finals and in 2021, the 24-year-old reached the final of the French Open where he ultimately lost out to Novak Djokovic. He first broke into the ATP top 10 rankings in 2019 and has since been a mainstay, reaching a career high of number three in 2021 and he currently sits at number four.

Tsitsipas has previously received criticism for taking extended bathroom breaks and both Alexander Zverev and Andy Murray have complained about the timings to respective umpires at the Cincinnati Masters and US Open. The British former number one claimed to have “lost all respect” for the Greek star, and after losing the match, he wrote on Twitter claiming it takes Tsitsipas twice as long to go to the toilet as it takes Jeff Bezos to fly into space.

When is Stefanos Tsitsipas next playing?

The Greek tennis player will take on Russia’s Karen Khachanovs on Friday 27 January 2023. The match is due to start at 3.30am GMT and will take place on the Rod Laver Arena. This will be the furthest the 26-year-old Russian has reached in the Australian Open and he is currently 20th in the ATP rankings having previously reached a high of number eight.

Khachanov has four career titles to his name as well as having reached the semi-final of the US Open and quarter-finals of the French Open and Wimbledon Championships. The two players have met five times in total with Tsitsipas coming out victorious on all five occasions. Their most recent match was at the Rome Masters in 2022 and Tsitsipas won 4-6 6-0 6-3.

The match will be available to watch on Eurosports Discovery+ and subscription for the site starts at £6.99/month.