Novak Djokovic cruises into 4th round of Australian Open،
Novak Djokovic is starting to find Grand Slam form, winning in straight sets for the first time in the tournament on Friday with a 6-3, 6-3, 7-6 (2) victory over Tomas Martin Etcheverry in his 100th match at the Grand Slam tournament. Australian Open.
The 24-time major winner is 92-8 at Melbourne Park, where he has won the title 10 times and is on a 31-match winning streak.
Only Roger Federer (117) and Serena Williams (105) have played more matches at the first major tournament of the season.
Djokovic has been having health problems and is suffering from pain in his right wrist. He lost sets in each of the first two rounds to 18-year-old Croatian qualifiers Dino Primzic and Alexei Popyrin, when he challenged a heckler to “say that to my face.”
Against Etcheverry, 24, he didn't even manage to get a break point.
Not that Etcheverry, seeded 30th, didn't challenge him, really focusing on his groundstrokes and chasing down shots – to the point where he had to leave the court to avoid the net in the third set and almost crashed into the referee's chair. .
Djokovic, as he closed in on victory, began putting his index finger to his ear after hitting winners, bringing more support and noise from the Rod Laver Arena crowd.
After closing with pair of aces to advance here to the fourth round for the 16th time, his celebration was quiet.
“It was a great match,” Djokovic said. “This is my best performance in this tournament. I am happy with the way I played, especially the first two sets.
“He raised his level in the third set (and) we competed.”
Djokovic will face either No. 16 Ben Shelton or No. 20 Adrian Mannarino, who were playing a third-round night match at Kia Arena. Djokovic entered the court while they were in the first set and finished while the Shelton-Mannarino match was still in progress.
Djokovic defeated Shelton in a US Open semifinal match before winning his record 24th Grand Slam singles title.
Comments attributed to him in French media earlier in the week indicated that Djokovic was mocking the “Hang up the phone!” » by Shelton. celebratory gesture after this victory in retaliation for an unsportsmanlike provocation.
Shelton didn't want to discuss it after his previous rounds.
Potential quarterfinalists in this section are 2023 Australian finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas, who beat Luca Van Assche 6-3, 6-0, 6-4, and No. 12 Taylor Fritz, who held off Fabian Morozsan 3- 6, 6-4. , 6-2, 6-2.
No. 4 Jannik Sinner is in fine form at the bottom of this half of the draw, advancing to the round of 16 without dropping a set after a 6-0, 6-1, 6-3 victory over Sebastian Baez. He will next face 15th seed Karen Khachanov, who beat Tomas Machac 6-4, 7-6 (4), 4-6, 7-6 (5).
The clean-hitting Italian player hit six aces and 34 winners to eliminate the 26th seed Argentina in less than two hours in cool and windy conditions at Margaret Court Arena, sealing the deal with a seventh break of serve.
“I loved the conditions today because there was no wind and no sun,” Sinner said. “I felt good with the ball. I made the right decisions and used every opportunity I had.”
Sinner, 22, was the hottest player on the tour at the end of last season and led Italy to a maiden Davis Cup triumph in late November to conclude the season.
His decision to extend his vacation and skip warm-up tournaments ahead of the first Grand Slam of the year raised eyebrows, but Sinner felt it was vindicated by his form in the first three rounds in Melbourne.
“In general, I feel really good here,” Sinner said. “I’m really happy with how I feel right now.
“Obviously the matches are a little different [from training] and let's see how I react in the next few rounds, but for now I'm good.”
In another night match, local hope Alex de Minaur continued his journey with a 6-3, 6-3, 6-1. defeat Flavio Cobolli.
Information from the Associated Press and Reuters was used in this roundup.
