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Manchester City moved to the verge of the Champions League quarter-finals with a 2-0 win over Borussia Moenchengladbach on Wednesday but coach Pep Guardiola insisted his team still need to "be more clinical up front".

A first half header from Bernardo Silva and a Gabriel Jesus strike in the second period of the last 16 first leg tie extended a winning streak by Guardiola's high-flying side to 19 games in all competitions.

Premier League leaders City camped inside the Gladbach half for most of the game, which was moved to Hungary due to Germany's Covid-19 travel restrictions.

Although dominant, City took time to break down a stubborn German defence, often foiled by the interceptions of Algeria left-back Ramy Bensebaini. 

While Guardiola said afterwards he was "pleased" with the result, he added City "have to improve" to challenge for Champions League honours.

"We controlled the game. Unfortunately we were not clinical up front, it is something we have to improve in this competition, we were not good enough in the box, we didn't dribble and shoot enough," said Guardiola. 

"In this competition you have to be perfect to be sure you can go through," he said.

Debutants in the Champions League knockout stages, Gladbach had been urged by coach Marco Rose to be brave against Guardiola's side.

France's Alassane Plea was almost through on goal on 20 minutes after a rare counterattack, but a nervy and deep-lying Gladbach eventually succumbed to mounting pressure in the 29th minute.

A sublime inch-perfect cross by Portuguese defender Joao Cancelo curled over the defence from the left to reach his compatriot Silva who flicked his close-range header past Yann Sommer.

"We tried to play simple and not make mistakes. It's a good win for us, but it's not over yet," Silva told BT Sport.

"Every time when he plays (Silva) is an exceptional player, he's really good in the air, the goal was fantastic how he finished it," said Guardiola.

The 26-year-old Cancelo, impressive throughout, nearly doubled the lead five minutes from the break but his shot from just outside the box pinged over the bar.

Then early in the second half Jesus should have converted after latching on to a poorly judged backpass by Bensebaini but saw his shot blocked by Swiss defender Nico Elvedi.

Apart from a lunging backheel from Plea that flashed just wide of Ederson's far post on the hour mark, City comfortably contained the Germans, and went two up in the 65th minute.

Another majestic cross-field pass by Cancelo again found Silva at Sommer's far post who this time headed back across the goalmouth for Jesus to fire home and seal City's 19th successive victory and sixth Champions League clean sheet in a row.

Gladbach, who managed just one shot on target throughout the game, an effort by substitute Hannes Wolf saved by Ederson in the last moments, now face a formidable task to turn around the tie in the return leg scheduled for March 16 in Manchester. 

"We deservedly lost today against a very strong team, you don't get many chances against such an opponent, we simply couldn't attack more," said Rose

"It would have been good to score at the end to be in a better position."

Ferland Mendy scored late as Real Madrid beat 10-man Atalanta 1-0 on Wednesday to close in on the Champions League quarter-finals.

The French left-back's strike in Bergamo came four minutes from time in a last 16 first leg game which the hosts played a man down for over 70 minutes as Zinedine Zidane's side hold the advantage heading into the second leg in Madrid on March 16.

Atalanta had attacked early but the game was transformed when Swiss midfielder Remo Freuler was harshly send off on 17 minutes for tripping Mendy at the edge of the penalty area.

Gian Piero Gasperini's woes continued with forward Duvan Zapata limping off after half an hour with a muscular problem with midfielder Mario Pasalic coming off the bench.

Spanish midfielder Isco got a rare start up front for injury-hit Real Madrid playing alongside Marco Asensio and Vinicius.

The 13-time European champions were without striker Karim Benzema due to an ankle problem with an injury list also including Sergio Ramos, Eden Hazard and Dani Carvajal.

But Zidane's side failed to make the most of the extra man despite coming closest to breaking through in the first half with a Casemiro header, with Nacho, Isco and Vinícius Junior also threatening and Luka Modric sending over the goal.

Zapata and in-form Luis Muriel lead the Atalanta attack in their first meeting with Real Madrid.

Atalanta continued to attack, with Muriel missing a chance to give the hosts the advantage four minutes before the break with a long-range strike that went just wide.

Atalanta goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini kept the hosts in the game keeping out a Casemiro header on a free kick before the half-time whistle.

Modric sent wide of the post after the break and sent through for Vinícius but was headed away from the Brazilian. 

Josip Illicic came on in place of Muriel after 56 minutes.

The Slovenian scored five goals against Valencia at this stage of the competition last season, but was substituted off four minutes from time after a poor display.

Soon afterwards Madrid broke through thanks to Mendy, who beat Gollini with a stunning curling effort into the top corner.

Real have the advantage going into the second leg having missed out on the quarter-finals for the last two seasons.

Atalanta need a historic effort in the away leg to reach the last eight for a second successive year.

The Bergamo side won their last 16, first leg clash against Valencia 4-1 a year ago on front of 45,000 spectators in Milan's San Siro.

That match was considered to have been one of the reasons behind the acceleration of the virus in Italy with Bergamo at the epicentre of the country's outbreak.

The were playing their second Champions League campaign, but the first knock-out match in their home stadium which underwent renovations last season when they reached the last eight.

And thousands of fans ignored the Italian team's plea to stay away with a party atmosphere outside the stadium with a fireworks display.

BUCHAREST — Olivier Giroud’s magnificent bicycle kick broke Atletico Madrid’s resistance and earned Chelsea a crucial away goal on Tuesday, a 1-0 victory giving Thomas Tuchel’s side a slender advantage in the Champions League last 16. 

Giroud’s acrobatic strike was initially ruled out for offside but stood after VAR showed Mario Hermoso had got the final touch, delivering a huge blow to Atletico’s hopes of reaching the quarter-finals. 

“I didn’t know what to think about the goal, I just focused on hitting the ball,” said Giroud. “I love an overhead kick and I was just pleased to see the ball hit the back of the net. I had no clue about being offside or not.”

Diego Simeone’s side had put on a typically disciplined defensive performance until that point, but Giroud’s moment of genius means they will have to score in London on March 17 if they are to avoid an early exit. 

It also continues a worrying dip for Atletico, whose lead in La Liga is also under threat after one win in four matches.

“If you’d said to me in September we’d lose this first leg 1-0 and be top of the league, I’d have signed for that for sure,” said Simeone.

“The results aren’t going for us so we have to work, work, work and work.”

Chelsea, meanwhile, passed their biggest test since Tuchel was appointed at the end of January, backing up a strong run against lesser lights in the Premier League with a polished display against one of Europe’s elite. 

“We knew their strengths and dealt with them,” said Giroud. “We need to stay focused now and finish the job.”

Giroud’s goal in the 68th minute was only the third Atletico have conceded in 14 home legs of the Champions League knockout stages under Simeone, even if this fixture was at home only in name.

Restrictions imposed by the Spanish government meant the game had to be played in Bucharest instead of Madrid, despite the return match remaining at Stamford Bridge in three weeks’ time. 

Tuchel admitted the switch gave his side an advantage but Simeone refused to complain on Monday, insisting he felt fortunate to play during the pandemic, “however and wherever that might be”. 

Spanish clubs struggling in Europe

Their defeat makes it three home losses out of three for Spain’s teams in the Champions League last 16 so far, after Barcelona were thrashed by Paris Saint-Germain and Sevilla were beaten by Borussia Dortmund last week.

Callum Hudson-Odoi started for Chelsea, despite Tuchel criticising the 20-year-old’s attitude against Southampton on Saturday. 

Atletico started with Suarez, Joao Felix and Angel Correa but an attacking line-up took up a typically defensive shape, a six-man wall quickly forming in front of Chelsea in the opening stages. 

The first half was tight, each side able only to create openings but failing to find the pass to make a chance. 

Edouard Mendy’s heavy touch in the opening minutes almost gave the chasing Saul Niguez a tap-in while Timo Werner’s angled shot was saved by Jan Oblak and Suarez miskicked at the near post. 

Chelsea looked most dangerous down the flanks, where Marcos Alonso and Hudson-Odoi pushed Atletico back. Atletico had space on the break but lacked the precision to capitalise.

Felix sprung into life early in the second half, feeding Thomas Lemar and then meeting the Frenchman’s cross with an acrobatic volley that flew over.

The game looked destined to finish goalless only for Atletico to briefly lose shape, allowing the instinctive Giroud to take advantage.

Alonso had raced away from Marcos Llorente down the left and his cross was diverted backwards to Giroud, who brilliantly bicycle-kicked into the corner, but looked offside, only for the replay to show it was Atletico’s Hermoso who had given him the assist.

The goal stood and Chelsea’s players celebrated, seemingly as surprised as anyone and delighted with a precious advantage.

LOS ANGELES — Donovan Mitchell had 23 points and eight assists as the NBA-leading Utah Jazz rained a franchise-record 28 three-pointers in a 132-110 rout of the Charlotte Hornets on Monday.

Joe Ingles and Georges Niang scored 21 points apiece as the Jazz got a superb offensive performance from their bench to win for the 21st time in their last 23 games and improve to 25-6 overall.

Jordan Clarkson (five threes), Mike Conley (four threes), Mitchell (three threes) and Royce O’Neale (two threes) contributed to the Jazz’s domination from beyond the arc. Conley also had 15 points.

Gordon Hayward scored 21 points but had to leave the game in the fourth quarter with a hand injury as the Hornets’ six-game road trip got off to a rocky start.

Rookie LaMelo Ball also scored 21 points as the Hornets kept it close until the fourth quarter when the Jazz seized command.

In Texas, Tim Hardaway scored a team-high 29 points as the Dallas Mavericks delivered one of their best defensive games of the season, by limiting the Memphis Grizzlies to just 39 per cent shooting on Monday.

Luka Doncic scored 21 points and Jalen Brunson chipped in 19 as the Mavericks returned from an unexpected eight-day break to post a 103-92 victory at the American Airlines Centre.

The Mavericks had not played since February 14 after a devastating winter storm wreaked havoc on the Dallas area and forced two postponements.

Brunson scored 17 points as Dallas won its fifth game in the last six.

The Mavs came out quickly, compiling a double-digit lead in the first half of the opening quarter, and cruised from there.

Ja Morant had 22 points and a game-high nine assists for the Grizzlies, who suffered their second straight loss and were held to their second-lowest season point total. The Grizzlies scored just two more points than they scored in a loss to Cleveland last month.

Desmond Bane finished with 12 points, Brandon Clarke and Jonas Valanciunas 11 apiece and Tyus Jones 10 for Memphis. Valanciunas also grabbed 15 rebounds to complete a double-double.

Elsewhere, Devin Booker scored 34 points as the Phoenix Suns posted their 12th win in the last 14 games by rolling to a 132-100 victory over the visiting Portland Trail Blazers.

Deandre Ayton added 19 points as the Suns dominated to open the second half by outscoring the Trail Blazers 37-17 in the third quarter.

Damian Lillard delivered 24 points and seven assists for Portland, who dropped their second straight contest following a season-long six-game winning streak.

Lillard’s 24 points came on the same day he created a stir by calling out the Minnesota Timberwolves management for hiring Chris Finch as their new head coach instead of former Portland assistant David Vanterpool.

Nassir Little scored 18 points, Gary Trent had 11 and Carmelo Anthony added 10 for the Trail Blazers. 

Enes Kanter collected 15 rebounds for Portland, which shot 12 of 39 from behind the arc.

In Los Angeles, Bradley Beal scored 33 points as the Washington Wizards won their fifth straight, beating the Los Angeles Lakers 127-124 in overtime at Staples Centre.

LeBron James carried Los Angeles offensively, scoring a team-high 31 points but the Lakers missed two chances to force double overtime and instead lost their third in a row.

It does not get any easier for the Lakers, who are playing without the injured Anthony Davis, as their next game is Wednesday against the Jazz.

MELBOURNE — Not content with challenging Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal for the men’s Grand Slams record, Novak Djokovic has Serena Williams and Margaret Court in his sights after claiming an astonishing ninth Australian Open title.

The World No. 1’s bold statement followed Sunday’s final, when he ended a turbulent tournament marked by a muscle injury and media attacks by humbling an in-form Daniil Medvedev.

Djokovic’s 18th major crown placed him within striking distance of the men’s record of 20, jointly held by Nadal, who lost in the quarter-finals, and Federer, who was absent through injury.

But the Serb also raised the prospect of a bigger goal: reaching the 23 held by Williams, and even the 24 won by Court straddling the amateur and Open era.

“Getting closer to maybe Roger’s, Rafa’s record, Serena, Margaret,” said Djokovic, when asked about his goals and schedule for this year.

“Everyone has their own journey and their own way of making history. They’ve made history already. They made a tremendous mark in our sport. 

“I think about winning more Slams and breaking records, of course. And most of my attention and my energy from this day forward, until I retire from tennis, is going to be directed in majors, trying to win more major trophies.”

Djokovic, 33, said he would play a slimmed-down schedule focusing on the majors, rather than the rankings, now he’s guaranteed to surpass Federer’s record of 310 weeks as World No. 1 on March 8.

‘Three knights of tennis’

His triumph follows a difficult tournament, after he suffered a muscle tear in the third round and was criticised for requesting better conditions for players during quarantine.

“It hurts,” he said of the criticism. “I’m a human being. I have emotions.”

The Serb’s 7-5, 6-2, 6-2 win over the 25-year-old Medvedev, who was on a 20-match winning streak, was also a sobering moment for the younger players hoping to dislodge the ‘Big Three’.

“The three knights of tennis,” Djokovic smiled. 

“Roger and Rafa inspire me,” he added. “I think as long as they go, I’ll go. In a way it’s like a race who plays tennis more and who wins more. 

“It’s a competition between us in all areas. But I think that’s the very reason why we are who we are, because we do drive each other, we motivate each other, we push each other to the limit.”

Djokovic’s coach Goran Ivanisevic said the Big Three were producing “better and better tennis” and also noted that Court’s record was on the horizon.

“I don’t know where is the end. Maybe they’re going to overtake Margaret Court and Serena, maybe not,” he said.

“But it’s amazing what they doing on the court. It’s amazing how they perform in the big matches.”

And Djokovic, dubbed the “king of Melbourne” by Medvedev, had a warning for the generation coming up behind the Big Three.

“Roger, Rafa, myself are still there for a reason,” he said. “We don’t want to hand it to them and we don’t want to allow them to win Slams. 

“I think that’s something that is very clear. Whether you communicate that message or not, we are definitely sending that vibe out there.”

LONDON — Thomas Tuchel knew from his first day in charge at Chelsea the hire-and-fire culture that managers face when working under Roman Abramovich.

“What does it change?” Tuchel responded when asked in his first press conference if he was concerned at being handed just an 18-month contract. 

“If they gave me four-and-a half years and they are not happy, they will sack me anyway.”

Despite seeing the fate of prestigious predecessors like Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti and Antonio Conte, who were all sacked after winning Premier League titles at Stamford Bridge, and a club legend in Frank Lampard, who was dismissed last month, Tuchel has embraced the challenge he now faces.

In stark contrast to the Chelsea model, Atletico Madrid’s rise over the past decade has been built around one talismanic leader in Diego Simeone.

Since Simeone took over a sleeping giant in 2011, Chelsea have had nine permanent managers.

The two sides meet for the first leg of their Champions League last 16 tie on Tuesday in Bucharest on the back of contrasting seasons so far.

Despite splashing out £220 million ($308 million) on new players in a deflated transfer market due to the economic impact of coronavirus, Chelsea find themselves fifth in the Premier League.

Another change of manager deemed necessary by Abramovich just to salvage a top-four finish and Champions League football next season.

Atletico’s form has dipped in recent weeks, but they still enjoy a three-point lead at the top of La Liga with a game in hand over Real Madrid to spare.

Abramovich can claim that his refusal to accept any decline in standards has been rewarded. No English club has won as many trophies as Chelsea in the Russian’s 18-year reign.

That includes the only Champions League ever won by a London club in 2012.

But for a club of Chelsea’s resources, the lack of progress in Europe’s premier club competition suggests there have been consequences for constant regime change.

Since losing to Atletico in the semi-finals of the 2013-14 season, Chelsea have not won a single knockout Champions League tie.

The Spanish side may have missed out in agonising fashion twice in Champions League finals to local rivals Real in extra-time in 2014 and on penalties two years later.

But the stability brought about by Simeone has allowed Los Rojiblancos to establish themselves as consistent contenders in the latter stages of European competition.

On top of two runs to the final, Atletico have reached a semi-final, two quarter-finals and won the Europa League in the two seasons they did not make the Champions League knockout stages under Simeone.

That is all the more impressive given Atletico do not enjoy the wealth of their La Liga competitors Madrid and Barcelona.

Even Chelsea with the backing of an oligarch in Abramovich have struggled to compete for the best talent since the emergence of state-funded projects backing Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain.

Time and again Simeone has seen sides dismantled and had to rebuild given Atletico’s place in European football’s food chain.

Chelsea were among the predators in taking Diego Costa and Filipe Luis from the 2013/14 La Liga title-winning team. 

Radamel Falcao, Arda Turan, Antoine Griezmann, Lucas Hernandez, Rodrigo and Thomas Partey are among others to be sold on at huge profits.

Everyone is now aware that drawing Atletico in a Champions League knockout tie means a battle. And that is just how Simeone likes it.

MADRID — Real Madrid are back within touching distance of the top of La Liga after they punished another Atletico Madrid slip against Levante on Saturday by beating Real Valladolid 1-0.

Atletico had the chance to stretch their lead to 11 points this week by winning back-to-back games against Levante but instead they followed a 1-1 draw on Wednesday with a surprise 2-0 loss, meaning a five-point advantage became only six.

Real Madrid cranked up the pressure again by edging to a win over struggling Real Valladolid, Casemiro’s second-half header cutting the gap to just three points, albeit with Atletico still owning a game in hand.

“It’s not because Atletico lost. We believe we can win the league,” said Casemiro. 

“There are still 42 points left, that’s a lot of points.”

The swing in momentum comes at a bad time for Atletico, who face Chelsea in the Champions League on Tuesday, and it feels significant given it has coincided with a resurgence, in La Liga at least, for their chasing rivals.

Real Madrid’s victory at the Jose Zorilla Stadium was their fourth in a row, three of those coming with clean sheets, which suggests a return to form for a defence that all but clinched them the title last season.

Zinedine Zidane’s side have done it without several key players too. Karim Benzema is the latest absentee through injury, joining the likes of Eden Hazard, Sergio Ramos and Dani Carvajal on the sidelines.

Benzema is struggling to be fit in time for Real Madrid’s Champions League game away at Atalanta on Wednesday.

“It is better, we will see tomorrow, but we are not going to risk anything,” said Zidane.

It meant a rare start for Mariano Diaz up front against Valladolid, while Isco was the only senior player on the bench.

Atletico undone by Levante

Atleti’s defeat was only their second in the league this season and their first at the Wanda Metropolitano in any competition since Barca beat them there in December 2019.

They have now gone seven league games without a clean sheet, their longest run since Simeone became coach in 2011, and their hopes of tightening up will not be helped by an injury to Jose Gimenez, who hobbled off and may not be fit to face Chelsea.

“League campaigns are always the same, with big moments, difficulties, obstacles, for everyone, not only for Atletico Madrid,” Simeone said. “The teams that are strong in those moments are the ones that will achieve their objectives.”

Due to rearranged fixtures, they were facing Levante for the second time in four days and Levante proved their draw in midweek was no fluke, even if they had to survive 28 Atletico shots before the final whistle blew.

Luis Suarez went closest to finding an equaliser, his bending free-kick in the second half coming back off the post. Suarez has now gone three league games without scoring for the first time this season.

Jose Luis Morales had already put Levante in front with a deflected finish off Felipe and while Atletico huffed and puffed, they were unable to find a way past Levante’s inspired goalkeeper Dani Cardenas.

Cardenas made 10 saves, the most from any La Liga keeper without conceding this term.

Atletico’s goalkeeper Jan Oblak then went up for a corner in injury-time, leaving Jorge de Frutos to make it two from the halfway line by launching into an open net.

“In the first half we were flat,” said Simeone. “In the second we created a lot of chances, Suarez hit the post — there was a lot of positives to take.”

For an hour, it looked like Real Madrid might suffer similar frustration against a determined Valladolid, who would have led had it not been for a string of excellent saves by Thibaut Courtois. 

Courtois had to pull off a double stop to deny Fabian Orellana and Saidy Janko in the first half and then in the second blocked Orellana, who had been bizarrely set up by Ferland Mendy launching a ball across his own penalty area.

The Belgian kept Madrid in it and then Casemiro put them in front. Casemiro had been allowed two free headers already by Valladolid’s defence and he pounced at the third opportunity, nodding in Toni Kroos’ free-kick to give Real Madrid hope.

MADRID — Real Madrid’s best player for the last three months is 35 years old and out of contract in the summer.

Luka Modric has perhaps been Real Madrid’s best player this season, as well as being voted player of the month by the club’s fans for November, December and January. He could deservedly win February too.

Nobody in Zinedine Zidane’s squad is older and yet only four have played more minutes in 2020/21, one of them goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.

Modric is joint third top scorer at the club and fifth for assists, even though by his own admission his contribution is never truly reflected by those measurements.

Compare Modric, for example, to Frenkie de Jong at Barcelona, another playmaking midfielder, who is 12 years younger and having an excellent season himself.

Modric has dribbled more than De Jong, been fouled more, intercepted more, taken more shots, blocked more shots, and scored the same number of goals.

“I have the same desire to play, to compete for my place, and I really want to show that age is not a problem,” said Modric in a press conference last month.

“What is important is how you play on the pitch and hopefully I can stay at this level for many years.”

Modric’s contract expires at the end of June and while reports in December claimed a one-year deal has been broadly agreed, three months on nothing is official.

There is perhaps more haggling to be done, especially by Real Madrid, whose financial situation means not a single euro can be spared.

“It would be fantastic to finish my career in this fantastic club in this fantastic city,” Modric told AFP in September. “But it is not my decision. It’s up to Real Madrid, the decision is theirs.”

Real reluctant 

to extend deals

If the contract is allowed to expire, there would be no shortage of teams interested, including some of Europe’s biggest and best. 

Yet, as Sergio Ramos is also discovering, Madrid’s reluctance to extend is not just about the money but the message, what it says about a club desperate to enter a new era to be hanging on to the icons of the last one.

After all, what happens when the old players are still better than the new ones? When the oldest player is, in fact, arguably the best one?

Luis Suarez was pushed out by Barcelona last summer, not so much because he was underperforming — he scored 21 goals last season — but because the club wanted to launch a new cycle.

Suarez is now La Liga’s top scorer, the driving force behind Atletico Madrid sitting six points clear at the top of the table.

Zidane’s loyalty to a select core helped him win three Champions League titles in a row but in the last few months it has brought pressure. When results have dipped, a criticism has been his refusal to embrace the future.

“Next year they’ll have to do things, make changes maybe,” Zidane said last month. “But this year we have the right to fight. Let us fight.”

Modric has been the stand-out player in a midfield trio that might still be the most balanced in Europe. Neither Toni Kroos nor Casemiro look like they need replacing either.

Fede Valverde briefly broke in but has faded. Isco has been excluded. Martin Odegaard was brought back from Real Sociedad, the idea that he could be the poster boy for a new generation. Instead, Odegaard barely featured and opted to join Arsenal last month on loan.

As Odegaard sat on the bench, he watched Modric still orchestrating, wriggling through gaps, tackling and distributing from deep. He saw Modric running this Real Madrid team despite his age, and Zidane sees it too.

Even in this compressed, exhausting season, Modric has started 20 out of Madrid’s 23 league matches, a throwback to the past, excelling in the present.

“He’s exceptional,” Zidane said in December.

MELBOURNE — Japan's Naomi Osaka brutally halted Serena Williams's latest bid for a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam title on Thursday, as Novak Djokovic wrote the final chapter of qualifier Aslan Karatsev's fairy-tale run.

Fans returned after a five-day coronavirus lockdown in time to see an emotional exit from Williams, Jennifer Brady's win over Karolina Muchova and top-ranked Djokovic preserving his perfect semifinal record at Karatsev's expense.

Triple major-winner Osaka, 23, again proved Williams's nemesis with a one-sided 6-3, 6-4 win which heightened questions about whether the American, 39, will ever match Margaret Court's all-time record for Slam singles titles.

Williams put her hand on her heart as she acknowledged a standing ovation on Rod Laver Arena, and later walked out of her post-match press conference in tears, saying: "I'm done."

The American has lost four Grand Slam finals since winning her 23rd in Melbourne in 2017, and victory over Osaka would have given her a golden opportunity against Brady, who is into her first major decider.

But after going 0-2 down in the first set, Osaka reeled off five straight games to take charge against a despairing Williams and canter into the final.

The soft-spoken Osaka has never lost a Grand Slam match after reaching the quarter-finals, and Brady can expect the match of her life on Saturday.

"For me, I have this mentality that people don't remember the runners-up. You might, but the winner's name is the one that's engraved," Osaka said.

"I think I fight the hardest in the finals. I think that's where you sort of set yourself apart."

Williams lamented a "big error day" and refused to discuss whether she had made her last appearance at a tournament she has won seven times, an Open-era record.

"I don't know," she said, when asked if her salute to the crowd was a farewell. "If I ever say farewell, I wouldn't tell anyone."

Thousands of fans

Williams's departure was watched by thousands of fans returning after a snap, state-wide lockdown, a welcome sight in Rod Laver Arena after five days of matches in front of empty seats.

The Australian Open is the first Covid-era Grand Slam to welcome large numbers of fans after last year's Wimbledon was cancelled, the US Open took place behind closed doors and the French Open was limited to 1,000 a day.

The returning spectators also witnessed the end of 114th-ranked Karatsev's astonishing campaign, when he became the first man in the Open era to reach a Grand Slam semi-final on debut.

Karatsev knocked out three seeds to reach the last four but he was no match for Djokovic, the record eight-time Melbourne champion who has never lost a semi or final on his favourite court.

"This is the best I've felt in the entire tournament," said the Serb, who has been carrying an abdomen injury since the third round, after his 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 win.

"I could swing through the ball. No pain. The best match so far."

Exemplifying the gulf between them, Vladikavkaz native Karatsev, 27, has won 18 Grand Slam sets in his career, while Djokovic, 33, is going for his 18th major title.

Brady versus Muchova was a far more competitive affair as the American needed five match points before subduing the Czech 25th seed in three sets.

Brady eventually prevailed 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 in 1hr 55min to reach her debut major final against the formidable Osaka.

"My legs are shaking, my heart is racing," said Brady, 25, who has admitted she hated watching and playing tennis as a child. 

"My legs felt fresh but they weren't moving. They felt stuck in mud."