Dodig/Polasek Return To Australian Open Semi-finals
Ivan Dodig and Filip Polasek ended the run of Aussie wild cards Matthew Ebden and John-Patrick Smith 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 on Tuesday to reach their second straight Australian Open semi-final.
Dodig and Polasek landed 26 winners and won 78 per cent of their first-serve points (40/51) en route to victory. The ninth seeds entered the quarter-finals without dropping a set, but they needed one hour and 50 minutes to overcome Ebden and Smith on Court 3.
Dodig and Polasek, who are through to their third Grand Slam semi-final as a team (0-2), own a 9-2 record this year. The Croatian-Slovakian duo is aiming to reach its second final of 2021, following its runner-up finish at the Antalya Open in January (l. to Mektic/Pavic).
The Antalya finalists will have a chance to gain revenge for their championship match loss on the Turkish south coast. They will face Antalya champions Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic in the semi-finals. Mektic and Pavic survived a final-set Match Tie-break to defeat 2019 champions Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(3).
Mektic and Pavic struck 43 winners, including 10 aces, to extend their unbeaten record as a team to 12-0 after two hours and 24 minutes. The second seeds, who began their partnership in Antalya last month, are chasing their third title of the year. Mektic and Pavic picked up their second trophy of the season at the Murray River Open.