Hello all, Daniel Harris taking over from Jack. Did I miss anything? No? Great.

The 36-year-old is asked whether it was just an off tournament, or whether he is now playing at his age.

“Let’s see, I don’t know. I still have high hopes, you know, for the slams and Olympics and whatever tournaments that I’ll play. It’s just the beginning of the season,” he says.

“It’s not the feeling that I’m used to, it has been incredibly satisfying for me, to start off most of my seasons with a grand slam win and – [I’ve] never lost in the semis or finals of the Australian Open – so this time it’s a bit different, but it is what it is and let’s see.”

Djokovic is asked to reflect on his winning streak at Melbourne Park, which now ends at 34 matches.

“I’m kind of hot headed right now after the match. It’s very difficult to reflect on things in a more profound way, so maybe tomorrow, maybe in a few days time, but I definitely have a lot to be very proud of in terms of what I have achieved here,” he says.

“The streak was going to end, one day it was going to happen and at least I gave everything I possibly can under circumstances where I didn’t play well.”

Djokovic says Sinner “outplayed me completely”.

“I was, in a way, shocked with my level in a bad way. I mean, not much I was doing right in the first two sets. And yeah, I guess this is one of the worst grand slam matches I’ve ever played,” he tells a crowded media room.

“Not a very pleasant feeling playing this way, but at the same time, credit to him for doing everything better than me, in every aspect of the game.”

We have a new world No 1 in women’s doubles. Elise Mertens will take over from Australian Storm Hunter at the top of the rankings after the only other contender for top spot, Canadian Gabriela Dabrowski, lost her semi-final today. 11th seeds Lyudmyla Kichenok and Jelena Ostapenko beat Dabrowski and her partner Erin Routliffe 7-5, 7-5, to book a spot in the final on Sunday against Mertens and Hsieh Su-wei. Hunter and her new partner Kateřina Siniaková were beaten by Mertens and Hsieh in the semi-finals yesterday.

Djokovic is speaking to media shortly. It looks like the 36-year-old is heading towards the media centre at Melbourne Park for his post-match press conference. Perhaps he might have an explanation for his first two sets, where he produced an uncharacteristically high number of errors, 29 in total. He had only 25 across the third and fourth sets, even though they were about twice as long.

Sinner will now take on either Alexander Zverev or Daniil Medvedev in the final. The second semi-final is due to get underway in about an hour on Rod Laver Arena. The Italian says he would have been watching even if he wasn’t in the final. “I’m a huge tennis fan, so it’s good to watch also for me.” We will be blogging right through, so don’t go anywhere.

Sinner’s serve was the key to victory, and he didn’t face one break point across the entire match. He told Jim Courier: “The serve has improved a lot, but still I have the feeling that I can still improve a lot.” That would be ominous for the rest of the tour, after doing this to Djokovic.

Sinner speaking with Jim Courier on-court after the match:

“It was a was a very, very tough match. I started off really well. For two sets I felt like he was not feeling that great on court, so I just tried to keep pushing. And then in the third set, I had match point and I missed the forehand, but you know, this is tennis. And I just tried to be ready also for the next set, which I started off really well.”

What’s the significance for Sinner? He’ll play his first grand slam final on Sunday. He’ll be the first Italian player ever, man or woman, to reach an Australian Open singles final. He’s only the ninth Italian player ever to reach a grand slam singles final. And at age 22, he will be the youngest player in the men’s final at Melbourne Park since 2008, when Djokovic won the title at age 20.

An amazing match, and a gritty victory for Sinner. Djokovic might have been off his game early, but the Italian had to snuff out his revival. Backed by his monster serve, he succeeded and ended up winning 6-1, 6-2, 6-7 (6-8), 6-3 in three hours and 23 minutes.

Sinner* 6-3 Djokovic. A backhand error from Sinner hands Djokovic a 0-15 start. The umpire instructs the crowd to quieten down. A huge serve wide sets up a straightforward forehand for Sinner, and now it’s 15-15. And then, what’s this? A first double fault from the Italian. Is doubt creeping in? Boom! An ace out wide, and it’s back to 30-30. This is riveting stuff, the emergence of a new tennis superstar. The umpire again lecturing the crowd. Another monster serve from Sinner. It’s match point… And the 22-year-old has done it, he’s knocked out the 10-time champion. Djokovic is out, Sinner is into the final!

Sinner 5-3 Djokovic*. The shadows are lengthening, and Djokovic’s invincibility is fading. But he refuses to go quietly. Four monster serves and he holds to love in seconds. It now comes down to Sinner’s serve.

Sinner* 5-2 Djokovic. A huge serve down the T catches the line and gives Sinner a 30-0 advantage. He’s still playing beautifully, and he works Djokovic around the court on a rally to go up 40-0. Djokovic can only applaud his opponent. Sinner holds, and is now just a game away from victory.

Sinner 4-2 Djokovic*. Djokovic goes to the drop-shot again, and it’s good enough for 15-0. He recovers from an error with an ace for 30-15, then works Sinner around for 40-15. Djokovic is letting the service clock count down close to nought, and he appears to have words with the umpire. But he holds and puts the pressure back on the Italian.

Sinner* 4-1 Djokovic. Sinner gobbles up a Djokovic drop-shot and the crowd roars in support. Another drop-shot attempt from Djokovic finds the net and it’s 30-0. The Serb is shaking his head. But a Djokovic forehand down the line gets it to 30-15, then he overpowers the Italian in a rally and it’s all square. The tension in Rod Laver Arena is building. A big second serve to the body is hit just long by Djokovic and it’s 40-30. But the Serb gets the deep return back to force a Sinner error. Two points later and it’s deuce again in this arm-wrestle of a game. “Novak, Novak, Novak”. Djokovic may not get many more opportunities to break back and the crowd knows it. But Sinner closes it out, and is now just two games away.

Sinner 3-1 Djokovic*. Djokovic clearly heard the murmurs about his age. He responds in typical fashion, and hits a beautiful drop-shot at 40-0. But wait! Sinner gets to it, with a sliding cross-court forehand. Two Djokovic errors later and it’s back to deuce. And then, what’s this? A double fault! What a turnaround in this game. Djokovic hits a backhand long and it’s a break for the Italian!

Sinner* 2-1 Djokovic. It’s back to business for the Italian, and despite a lovely drop shot from Djokovic, Sinner holds at 40-30. At what point do we need to raise the difference in age between the players? How about now… Djokovic is 14 years and 86 days older than Sinner. That’s the fourth-largest gap between players in an Australian Open men’s singles semi-final in the Open Era. The biggest gap came in 1976, when 21-year-old Mark Edmondson beat 41-year-old Ken Rosewall. Will the youngster prevail here too? Stay tuned.

Sinner 1-1 Djokovic*. A backhand error from Djokovic, then a stretch backhand from the Italian makes it 0-30. But Djokovic steadies with an ace, wide past Sinner’s forehand. It’s tense, and at 15-30 Djokovic survives a second service let. But it doesn’t matter – he blasts a forehand long to hand two break point chances to the Italian! Djokovic survives the first despite desperate defence from Sinner. And then an ace down the T makes it deuce. Sinner gets to a wide return and Djokovic meekly finds the net. On the game’s third break point, the Serb finds a strong serve wide. Djokovic eventually gets out of the game but it was a struggle.

Sinner* 1-0 Djokovic. Djokovic tries to end a compelling rally early with a drop-shot that finds the net, handing Sinner a 30-0 start. Djokovic hits a strong return to make it 40-15, but otherwise it’s a strong response from the young Italian. He wins it with an ace.

Djokovic has returned to court. Sinner has been ready for him for minutes, bouncing up and down, ahead of his first service game in the fourth set. It has been more than five minutes since the third set ended.

Djokovic’s improved serve helped him back in it. Cutting down on unforced errors, the Serb increased the percentage of points won on his first serve to 79%. That number was 56% in the second set. He is still struggling on the Italian’s serve, but he won the key points when it mattered to stay alive in the tournament. Now Sinner’s unforced errors are creeping up. He had 15 in the third set, compared to eight in the first two sets.

Sinner 6-7 (6-8) Djokovic. A huge let-off for Djokovic as a Sinner passing shot sails just wide. And now the Serbian has set point at 7-6. It’s a second serve, and the umpire has to tell the crowd to be quiet. Sinner hits a backhand that drops just long, and Djokovic takes the set! It’s game on at Rod Laver Arena. Djokovic appears to be going for a clothing change.

Sinner 6-6 (6-6) Djokovic (tie-break, ongoing). The Italian recovers with a big serve. A huge forehand reach keeps Sinner in the following point, then Djokovic hits a forehand wide and it’s back to 4-4. The pressure shifts to the Serbian, and a big return from Sinner then a clean winner swings the match back in his favour. He has the match on his serve! At 5-4, he goes big with his forehand and all Djokovic can do against the advancing Italian is turn to his lob. He nails it, and gets it back on serve at 5-5. But Djokovic can’t get back another monster serve down the T, and it’s match point. Sinner hits another forehand into the net, and Djokovic stays alive!

Sinner 6-6 (2-4) Djokovic (tie-break, ongoing). First up, Sinner wastes a Djokovic second serve with a long return. The Italian’s first serve misses narrowly, then he finds the net with a backhand. Pressure builds on the 22-year-old. He responds with a big serve wide that Djokovic can’t get back. Sinner then jumps on a Djokovic second serve, and it’s all square at 2-2. The Serb finds a forehand to end a 14-shot rally and go up 3-2. Then Sinner hits another forehand into the net, and the Serb has the advantage! The tie-break continues…

Sinner* 6-6 Djokovic. Djokovic hits a backhand long and closes his eyes in frustration. But then Sinner goes for too much and hits his own backhand deep. It’s 15-15 and Rod Laver Arena is tense. A crucial second serve for Sinner jams Djokovic for 30-15, then an ace, then an overhead. What a response from the Italian. It’s time for a tie-breaker!

Sinner 5-6 Djokovic*. The world No 1 takes the game with a strong serve and then a fortunate net cord. Will the stoppage help or hinder the Italian? Djokovic has the momentum as a tie-break looms.

Paramedics are treating an elderly spectator, who seems to be on the ground in the stands. He finds his feet, and gets a modest ovation from the spectators around him. He is being assisted from the arena, and appears to have a small gash on his head, but is smiling. The match resumes at a critical juncture, to huge applause.

Sinner 5-5 Djokovic* (40-40, game ongoing). At 0-15, Sinner gets to a high bouncing ball in mid-court and had Djokovic going the wrong way, but the Italian hit it long. Soon after, Djokovic finds a forehand to best Sinner’s determined defence, and it’s 30-15. “Novak, Novak, Novak”, rings out. But Sinner powers a return back, forcing Djokovic wide and Sinner levels at 30-30. Djokovic forces Sinner wide and gets him on the move, for 40-30. But a Djokovic forehand flies long and it’s deuce. A wild backhand from Sinner gives the Serb the advantage, but he wastes it with another forehand error. A fan seems to be having a health issue and medical staff have been called. The players are taking a break.

Sinner* 5-5 Djokovic. Sinner hits a straightforward forehand into the net for 0-15. Is this an opening? But the Italian finds the corner with a looping forehand and it’s 15-15. No nerves yet. A serve wide, and simple volley. Another big serve, and a return goes long. A second serve, Djokovic hits it long again. The Italian holds, and new balls are called.

Sinner 4-5 Djokovic*. A tight rally ends with a Sinner backhand finding the tape. Then the Italian appears impatient, going for a forehand winner early. It finds the net for 30-0. Two good serves follow, and it’s another easy hold for Djokovic.

Sinner* 4-4 Djokovic. An unforced error from Djokovic ends a long rally to give Sinner the first point. Another arm-wrestle of a point goes the opposite way, making it 15-15. But Djokovic blasts a return long, then exchanges words with his box. He just can’t get any kind of momentum. A big serve down the middle from Sinner helps him to 40-15, then a Djokovic forehand error ends the game.

Sinner 3-4 Djokovic*. Djokovic seems to have his serve back, and goes up 30-0. A long rally then goes the way of the Serb, and all of a sudden he doesn’t look far off his best. An ace seals the game. Is this the turning point? Your move, Sinner.

Sinner* 3-3 Djokovic. Anything Djokovic can do, Sinner can do better. The Italian holds to love. He is playing today to become the first Italian player in history, man or woman, to reach an Australian Open singles final. It’s clear the nerves haven’t got to him yet.

Sinner 2-3 Djokovic*. Sinner is defending ably, but Djokovic is starting to find his range. He hits a gorgeous forehand winner for 30-0, then the Italian finds the net in the subsequent point. It’s another comfortable service game, finished with an ace. This is crunch time for Djokovic, but he seems to be rediscovering his touch.

Sinner* 2-2 Djokovic. A hint of a recovery. Sinner hits a forehand into the net to end a tense rally. Then a not dissimilar shot at the end of a not dissimilar rally, into the net again. But at 0-30, an ace wide past Djokovic’s forehand. The sun is beaming down onto Rod Laver Arena, and Sinner sends Djokovic from one side of the court to the other to level the game at 30-30. Then, a brilliant return from the Serb is wasted by a shot on the approach that flies long. Sinner takes another point, and keeps the second set on serve.

Sinner 1-2 Djokovic*. Djokovic finally has a straightforward service game, and holds from 40-15. The new balls, taken two games ago, seem to be having an effect.