Novak Djokovic suffered a surprise 7-6 (6), 6-3 defeat to Reilly Opelka in the quarter-finals of the Brisbane International on Friday while the women’s No 1, Aryna Sabalenka, cruised into the semi-finals with a comfortable 6-3, 6-4 win over Marie Bouzkova.

Djokovic was punished for a flat, impotent performance as he struggled to impose himself against an excellent Opelka. The defeat marks another missed opportunity for Djokovic as he pursues a milestone 100th title. He will now head to Melbourne to complete preparations for the Australian Open, a much greater priority, where he will meet up with Andy Murray for their first tournament together.

Opelka, meanwhile, was inspired from the beginning of the match and held his composure in the final moments as he served out to love for the biggest win of his career. Opelka stands at 6ft 11in and the American boasts one of the biggest serves in the world, which he used superbly, firing 16 aces and facing only one break point throughout.

“He’s the greatest tennis player the sport has ever seen,” said Opelka. “It’s difficult being in that position. He can scout me and the other opponents all day long. The reality is we have nothing to lose coming in against him. He’s the greatest player ever so you end up playing more free and you end up going and taking a lot more risks because it’s your only chance.

“If you play your normal level or even above your level, he’s going to win every time. It’s tough in his position because he gets guys who are good players that roll the dice. On a day like this when all the things go my way, that’s how it works out.”

The victory marks a significant step forward for Opelka, who was off the ATP tour for almost two years between 2022 and 2024 after undergoing two wrist operations and a hip surgery. Having been ranked as highly as No 17 in 2022, Opelka is currently No 293 and entering tour-level tournaments with a protected ranking as he tries to return to the top levels of the sport consistently.

“It was tough,” he said. “A lot of months, there were a lot of doubts. I definitely watched a lot of my friends on the TV, I watched Tommy [Paul], Taylor [Fritz], Frances [Tiafoe] and Ben [Shelton] do great, which was fun but also motivating for me, it definitely kept me interested in the sport. I watched Novak become the greatest and then two years on, a lot of the time you find yourself wondering: ‘What would Novak do?’ in that situation.”

Sabalenka, meanwhile, has eased into the 2025 season with a string of solid performances before her Australian Open title defence next week. She has now won 26 of her past 27 matches in Australia, a run that includes two consecutive Australian Open titles, a WTA 500 title in Adelaide and a final last year in Brisbane. She is yet to drop a set in her first three matches this year.

Sabalenka will face a much tougher challenge in Saturday’s semi-final against the in-form 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva, who defeated Ons Jabeur 6-4, 7-6 (2). Andreeva upset Sabalenka in the quarter-finals of last year’s French Open.

“We had great battles in the past and we played an exhibition together in Abu Dhabi so I got to know her a little better,” said Sabalenka. “Nice person, great player and I always have great battles against her.

Aggressive player, serving well, moving well, hitting the ball quite clean so it’s going to be a great battle against her.”