Lorenzo Musetti’s injury leads to retirement, advancing Novak Djokovic to the semifinals of the Australian Open.

MELBOURNE, Australia — Novak Djokovic is set to compete in his 13th Australian Open semifinal after his quarterfinal rival, Lorenzo Musetti, retired from their match on Wednesday night while leading the 24-time major champion by two sets.

Musetti, the No. 5 seed at Melbourne Park, was ahead of Djokovic 6-4, 6-3, 1-2 when he requested the physiotherapist to address an apparent right quadricep injury.

After a brief treatment, he returned to the court but soon walked to the net to shake hands with Djokovic moments later, trailing 1-3 in the third set.

“I don’t know what to say except that I feel really sorry for him,” Djokovic stated in a post-match interview. “He was the far better player — I was on my way home tonight.”

This marks the second consecutive match in which Djokovic has progressed due to an opponent’s injury. He received a walkover in the fourth round when Jakub Mensik withdrew from the tournament, citing an abdominal strain.

Djokovic will meet the winner of Wednesday’s final men’s quarterfinal between world No. 2 Jannik Sinner and American Ben Shelton.

Source: espn.com