Djokovic just one hurdle from 18th Grand Slam title

Only one more match and World number 1 Novak Djokovic will clinch his 18th Grand Slam title  come Sunday in Melbourne.

Djokovic reached the Australian Open final for the ninth time in his career after stopping underdog Aslan Karatsev’s fairytale Grand Slam run.

The Serbian has been struggling with  stomach injury for much of the tournament but showed no signs of struggle as he powered past the 114th-ranked shock semi-finalist, winning 6-3, 6-4, 6-2.

It was ultimately a comfortable evening for Djokovic, following an injury-hit display against Taylor Fritz and a nail-biting victory over Alexander Zverev in the quarter-finals.

Djokovic will have two days to recover ahead of facing either Daniil Medvedev or Stefanos Tsitsipas as he bids to win his 18th Grand Slam.

Karatsev, whose remarkable run to this stage has been one of the stories of the grand slam, made Djokovic work all the way to claim the victory. An amazing rally won by the Russian in the first set earned a thumbs up from his established opponent.

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Djokovic admitted the tie that left him feeling emotionally drained and this was not entirely straightforward, with Karatsev clawing his way back from 1-5 to 4-5 in the second set and forcing Djokovic to save two break points.

The top seed let out a huge roar when he eventually clinched the game to set him on his way to a straight sets victory.