Novak Djokovic cruises through to Australian Open semi-final

TO THE FORE: Novak Djokovic of Serbia plays a forehand return to Andrey Rublev of Russia during their quarter-final match at the Australian Open in Melbourne, Australia. Pic: AP Photo/Dita Alangkara

Novak Djokovic equalled the record of former coach Andre Agassi with a 26th consecutive victory at the Australian Open to reach the semi-finals.

The nine-time champion was again in superb form, painting the lines consistently in a 6-1 6-2 6-4 victory over fifth seed Andrey Rublev on Rod Laver Arena to set up a clash with unseeded American Tommy Paul.