Melbourne Park is bracing for one of the most anticipated semifinals in Australian Open history after quarterfinal action on Wednesday, January 28, confirmed a final-four lineup featuring all four top seeds for the first time at this tournament since 2013.

Two-time defending champion Jannik Sinner was clinical in dispatching eighth-seeded American Ben Shelton 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 in the night session on Rod Laver Arena, extending his remarkable winning streak at Melbourne Park to 19 matches. The second-seeded Italian, who claimed his maiden Grand Slam title at this very venue in 2024 before defending it last year, has dropped just one set through five rounds and looks every bit the dominant force that has made him nearly unbeatable on Australian hardcourt.

On the other side of the net awaits the indomitable Novak Djokovic, whose path to the semifinals has been anything but conventional. The 38-year-old Serbian benefited from fifth-seeded Lorenzo Musetti's injury retirement in their quarterfinal, with the Italian forced to withdraw while trailing 4-6, 3-6, 1-3 due to a right leg injury. Djokovic, seeded fourth, candidly admitted afterward that he was fortunate. "I was lucky this time," he told reporters, acknowledging Musetti had been the better player before the injury struck.

Djokovic's run to the last four has been unconventional by his lofty standards. He received a fourth-round walkover when 16th-seeded Jakub Mensik withdrew with an abdominal injury, meaning the 24-time Grand Slam champion has not won a complete match since the third round. Yet his mere presence in the semifinals carries enormous weight. By reaching the final four, Djokovic became the oldest man to achieve the feat at the Australian Open since Ken Rosewall in 1977, and he surpassed Roger Federer for the most Australian Open singles match wins in history with 103.

Sinner holds a 6-4 career lead over Djokovic and has won their last five encounters, including semifinal victories at the 2024 Australian Open, Roland Garros 2025, and Wimbledon 2025. Should Djokovic somehow reverse that trend and go on to lift the trophy, he would claim a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title, surpassing the all-time mark he currently shares with Margaret Court.

The other men's semifinal promises fireworks of its own, with top-seeded Carlos Alcaraz facing third-seeded Alexander Zverev. Alcaraz, the six-time major champion seeking to become the youngest man in history to complete the career Grand Slam, has been in imposing form throughout the fortnight.

On the women's side, the semifinals are equally compelling. World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, the two-time Melbourne champion who reached the final in each of the past three years, faces 12th-seeded Elina Svitolina, who swept past Coco Gauff in a dominant quarterfinal performance. Neither player has dropped a set in the tournament. In the other half, fifth-seeded Elena Rybakina takes on sixth-seeded Jessica Pegula after Rybakina's emphatic 7-5, 6-1 demolition of second-seeded Iga Swiatek in the quarters.

This Australian Open has already etched its name in the record books as the first Grand Slam in the Open Era where all top six seeds reached the quarterfinals in both draws, and the first since 2019 Roland Garros where all top four men's seeds made the semifinals. With the biggest matches still to come, Melbourne Park stands ready for a historic finish to the first major of 2026.