Novak Djokovic was at his imperious best to dismantle Lucas Pouille 6-0 6-2 6-2 in the Australian Open semi-final to set up a meeting with Rafael Nadal.
Djokovic is still on track for a record seventh Grand Slam title in Melbourne as he booked his place in Sunday’s final against Nadal – a repeat of the marathon final in 2012 – in what promises to be an eagerly-awaited contest befitting of the occasion.
A competitive semi-final, this was not, as Djokovic showed his superiority in the same way Nadal did 24 hours earlier against Stefanos Tsitsipas, completing this one-sided contest with just five unforced errors and 24 winners in one hour and 25 minutes.
After dropping just four games, he said on court afterwards: “It’s definitely one of the best matches I’ve ever had on this court.”
The number one seed completed a first-set bagel in just 23 minutes as Pouille’s 10 unforced errors were clinically combined by 11 winners from the Serbian. Pouile rallied at the start of the second set but was broken in his second service game after a double fault handed Djokovic a commanding lead.
Cheers greeted every game won by the unfancied Frenchman, with the crowd desperate to see a contest, but a love hold from Djokovic meant Pouille had been unable to return nine consecutive points on his opponent’s serve.
