Djokovic rolls to Aussie quarters, matches Federer’s Slam record،
MELBOURNE, Australia — Novak Djokovic was merciless in a 6-0, 6-0, 6-3 victory over Adrian Mannarino on Sunday, reaching the quarterfinals of the Australian Open and tying the all-time record of Roger Federer in Grand Slam.
In a rare daytime appearance at Rod Laver Arena, the 10-time Australian Open champion scored 31 winners and raced to victory in 1 hour and 44 minutes to advance to the last eight for the 58th time in a major tournament, equaling Federer's mark.
Djokovic is appearing in the Australian Open quarterfinals for the 14th time, which ranks him second on the all-time list with Rafael Nadal and John Newcombe. The difference is that Djokovic converted most of those quarterfinals into titles at Melbourne Park.
He will next face American Taylor Fritz, who reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open for the first time on Sunday with a 7-6 (3), 5-7, 6-3, 6-3 victory over the Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas, the finalist here last year.
“I think I served well, the whole match, it kept me going,” Fritz said, after his first victory against a top 10 player in a major tournament. “And then at the very end, when I really needed it, I feel like I just upped my game and started playing my best tennis to finish it.”
Djokovic, 36, who worked through his first two rounds, believes he is starting to find his rhythm.
“The first two sets were some of the best I've played in a while,” said Djokovic, who is aiming for a record 25th Grand Slam singles title. “I played well from the first to the last point.”
The Serbian player added, joking: “I really wanted to lose this match in the third set because the tension was rising in the stadium.”
Mannarino, 35, had played five sets in his previous three rounds. After missing a break point in the first match, he almost never threatened Djokovic.
The French player avoided the “triple bagel” – only five Grand Slam matches in the Open era were won 6-0, 6-0, 6-0 – but he was only postponing the inevitable.
Djokovic admitted to feeling unwell in the final rounds, but said his health was improving.
“The last few days have been really good,” he said. “This is going in a positive direction, from a health and tennis perspective.”
