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Novak Djokovic’s bid for his 100th tour-level title will have to wait after he was knocked out in the quarter-finals of the Brisbane International by Reilly Opelka.
The 27-year-old American triumphed 7-6 (6) 6-3 in one hour and 40 minutes to bring a spectacular end to two years of injury misery that saw his world ranking plunge to 293.
Djokovic will now head to Melbourne where he will link up with his new coach Andy Murray ahead of his quest for a record-extending 11th Australian Open crown.
Opelka said in a post-match interview: “He (Djokovic) is the greatest tennis player the world has ever seen.
“It is difficult being in Novak’s position because he can scout me all day long but the reality is we have nothing to lose coming in against him. So you end up playing more free and taking more risks.”
Opelka will face Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the last four after the big-serving Frenchman overcame Jakub Mensik 7-5 7-6 (5). In the second semi-final, second seed Grigor Dimitrov will play Jiri Lehecka.
British number two Cameron Norrie crashed out of the Hong Kong Open at the quarter-final stage as he was beaten 6-3 3-6 6-2 by Japan’s Kei Nishikori.
Victory gave the 35-year-old Nishikori, a former world number four, his place in the last four of a tour-level event for the first time since July 2021.
And it abruptly ended a promising run for Norrie, who had built on his first final of the year in Metz in November as he ended a challenging campaign on a high.
Nishikori, who entered the event as a wildcard, will be one of four unseeded players in the semi-finals after last-eight defeats for Lorenzo Musetti and Arthur Fils.
Second seed Musetti fell in three sets to Spain’s Jaume Munar, while fourth seed Fils lost to fellow Frenchman Alexandre Muller. Meanwhile China’s Juncheng Shang was a three-set winner over Hungary’s Fabian Marozsan.
