Karen Khachanov into Australian Open semi-finals after Sebastian Korda retires with a wrist injury

ByJames Kilpatrick

Updated 24/01/2023 at 06:07 GMT

Sebastian Korda had to retire from the Australian Open after picking up a wrist injury in the second set against Karen Khachanov which ultimately decided the outcome of the match. Khachanov was a set up when the injury happened. Korda tried to play through the pain, but it was clear he was not swinging freely. Khachanov will now play in the second Grand Slam semi-final of his career.

Karen Khachanov won through to the semi-finals of the Australian Open for the first time in his career after Sebastian Korda was forced to retire with a wrist injury.

Khachanov was leading 7-6(5) 6-3 3-0 before Korda made the decision to leave the court.

Korda was hampered by a right wrist injury picked up in the middle of the second set and it restricted his movement, enabling Khachanov to dominate the match from then on.

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For Khachanov, it is back-to-back Grand Slam semi-finals after reaching the same stage at the 2022 US Open. The big-serving Russian will play either Stefanos Tsitsipas or Jiri Lehecka in the last four.

"Back-to-back semi-finals in a Grand Slam, it feels great," Khachanov said in his on-court interview after the match.

"Not the way you want to finish the match. I think until a certain point it was very competitive. A very good battle. Sebastian beat one of my friends Daniil [Medvedev] and five sets against Hubert Hurkacz - he's been playing great tennis. Big applause to him.

"I'm feeling good, to be honest. Really happy about my level and the way I compete, and looking forward to the semi-finals here in Australia for the first time."

"I think I've kind of reinvented myself," he added. "I've always believed in myself, and when you get a great result it shows what you're capable of, and then you start to believe more and more.

"This belief and self confidence I believe appear much stronger after the US Open. I hope to continue to grow as a person and a sportsman."

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Khachanov’s first serve was working to devastating effect from the very start of the match, and he raced into a 3-0 lead after only nine minutes of play.

When Khachanov was serving for the set, Korda hit four deep returns which helped him to break point before an unforced error from the Russian got him back on serve.

The pair fought to a tie-break which began with four mini-breaks. Khachanov took it in the end, though, on this third set point with a blistering backhand winner down the line to wrap up the opener in 50 minutes.

Korda required a trainer to come on at 3-2 up in the second set to address the problem with his right wrist which he had to have taped up.

The injury and its taping appeared to impact the American as he was broken in his next service game after making five errors in a row, giving Khachanov a 4-3 lead.

Korda grew increasingly irritated by his injury and Khachanov was able to secure the double break and the second set with a forehand winner.

Korda looked to shorten the points in the third set, but Khachanov was running away with the set before his opponent decided to retire at the changeover.

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