There will be reports to follow from our writers, but here’s the PA Media snap until that drops.
Novak Djokovic was firing on all cylinders as he dismantled home favourite Alex De Minaur to reach the quarter-finals of the Australian Open for the 13th time.
The nine-time champion’s damaged left hamstring has dominated discussion around his chances of triumphing again at Melbourne Park but there were no signs of discomfort here as he stormed to a 6-2 6-1 6-2 victory with a ruthless display.
It was a very uncomfortable evening, though, for De Minaur, the last remaining home singles hope, on Rod Laver Arena as he was outplayed in all areas.
Novak Djokovic speaks to Jim Courier, who asks why he beat De Minaur.
Because I wanted to, I cannot say I am sorry you didn’t get a longer match, I wanted to win in straight sets. I started feeling more loose more free, more aggressive, i felt he was a bit more nervous. Tennis is a very quick sport, thing can change, I kept my focus, I played my best match of this year so far.
Obviously i was dealing wih an injury, i don’t feel anything today. I think my medical team, my physio, I thank God. I don’t take anything for granted, so let’s keep it going. I’ve been taking a lot of pills and it’s not ideal, but not those kind of pills, guys, anti-inflammatory pills. Really today was the best day so far and hopefully it stays that way.
Djokovic beats De Minaur 6-2 6-1 6-2 to reach the quarter-finals
The comeback is on…ok, it’s 0-15. Celebrated with a “come on”, by De Minaur. Djokovic does seem a bit slow, but then brutalises a second serve home. Then, a stop volley takes him to 30-15. And two match points it is, the first taken with a serve to the De Minaur backhand that cannot be returned. Job done, and an absolute pounding of poor, dear, De Minaur, who gets his bags together and leaves the court.
Updated
Djokovic 6-2 6-1 5-2 *De Minaur
De Minaur will always have the baseline winner he crashes past Djokovic for 15-15, only his eighth winner of the match. Then a slower serve tempts Djokovic into an error. A double fault for 30-30. Then the banter from the home crowd, probably all loaded up on VB, delays the serve of De Minaur. Djokovic then takes himself to break point by curating a rally so he ends up volleying to an open court. That’s saved by a big ace, to cheers. Then a big serve hands De Minaur a game point but then he can’t land a drop after a skidding, squeaky rally with both at the net. But, eventually, De Minaur prevails and Djokovic will have to serve out the match.
Djokovic* 6-2 6-1 5-1 De Minaur
More heckling, Djokovic unamused, perhaps even seething. And he reams a forehand way beyond De Minaur for 15-0. Then a drop shot for 30-0. Next, a forehand that imbalances De Minaur, such is its speed. De Minaur wins the next two, and Djokovic does look to be sweating up a bit. Still, he holds, a skidding forehand puts De Minaur within a game of the exit door.
Into the quarter-finals at a Grand Slam for the first time 🙌#AusOpen • #AO2023 pic.twitter.com/w55DquO2RE
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 23, 2023
Big win for the American.
Your moment, @TommyPaul1 🌟@wwos • @espn • @eurosport • @wowowtennis • #AusOpen • #AO2023 pic.twitter.com/iLsSUCcID9
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 23, 2023
Djokovic 6-2 6-1 4-1 *De Minaur
A scraped drop shot takes it to 0-15, and then it’s 0-30, before a failed drop and a missed forehand takes it to 30-30. Deuce ensues, and a good De Minaur serve hands him an advantage. And when Djokovic is sent scrabbling, the bagel is again avoided.
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Djokovic* 6-2 6-1 4-0 De Minaur
A double fault from Djokovic, a collector’s item, to use the commentator’s cliche. And another! It’s on! There was heckler involved. The next one, low and hard, takes it to 30-30. Then some great defence forces De Minaur into a mistake. “Novak, no vax” was the heckler’s shout. Accurate, at least. Djokovic holds when he clatters a serve that cannot be returned.
Good stat from the Mirrorman here.
Novak Djokovic has won 26/27 against home players at Grand Slams. The exception? 2013 #Wimbledon final v Andy Murray #AusOpen2023
— Neil McLeman (@NeilMcLeman) January 23, 2023
Djokovic 6-2 6-1 3-0 *De Minaur
There’s a 30-15 glimmer for De Minaur as Djokovic overhits a slice. And then he wins a rally after Djokovic fails with a drop shot. Still, a walloped backhand levels it for deuce. A clubbing forehand takes him to another break point, and then De Minaur can’t keep the ball in. This is brutal, it’s 13 from 14 games won.
Robert gets in touch: “Is this Djokovic’s revenge on Australia for last year?”
Djokovic* 6-2 6-1 2-0 De Minaur
Hello, 0-30 on the Djokovic serve…but 30-30 soon enough. De Minaur’s suffering out there, he’s had no answer. It goes to 40-30, but then it’s 40-40, deuce, which feels like a small victory. It will have to do, as Djokovic serves out to seize control of the third set.
Djokovic 6-2 6-1 1-0 *De Minaur
Another break, and that’s 11 from 12 matches, and one achieved by the ball bouncing off the let cord.
This one looks likely to finish before Bautista Agut v Paul, into the fourth set, Paul leading 2-1 on sets, going with serve in the fourth.
Djokovic leads 2-0 on sets from De Minaur
Djokovic* 6-2 6-1 De Minaur
The progress to a set point is easy, and he has two in hand, the first taken by blamming home a jumping backhand to take it.
Djokovic 6-2 5-1 *De Minaur
De Minaur gets to 40-15 after a rare Djok goof, and he serves out. The bagel has been avoided. Phew. Now to mount a comeback against the nine-time champion.
Djokovic* 6-2 5-0 De Minaur
The ugliness considers for De Minaur, and Djokovic will soon enough get to put that twanging hamstring on ice.
Djokovic 6-2 4-0 *De Minaur
This doesn’t seem like Melbourne Nights type of game, nobody’s missing their last bus home or train from Flinders Park. It goes to 0-30, and there’s a minor celebration when Djokovic nets for 15-30. But another break points soon follows. That’s saved, to loud applause and some larrikin shouts from the home firm. And yet their boy overcooks a forehand and so another break is on offer. More cheers when this one is held. The game veers beyond seven minutes but as De Minaur launches a serve, it’s directed back beyond him by Djokovic for another break point. And that’s seized on, and it’s eight games in a row.
Updated
Djokovic* 6-2 3-0 De Minaur
This is getting ugly for poor De Minaur. Do his mates call him the Minotaur? Still, some relief when Djokovic misses an overhead. A lengthy rally sees Djkokovic prevail, and it’s the long rallies where Djokovic was supposed to be caught out. Seven games in a row now. Oof.
Djokovic 6-2 2-0 *De Minaur
Rather easily, another break point arrives for Djokovic. This could slip through De Minaur’s grasp…but he saves it with a pounding serve. Not for long, as at deuce, Djkokovic takes his chance with ease.
Djokovic* 6-2 1-0 De Minaur
Djok applauds a De Minaur return but still sees out an easy service game.
By the way, between Roberto Bautista Agut and Tommy Paul is 1-1, Paul leading 4-2 in the third.
Djokovic takes the first set 6-2
Djokovic 6-2 *De Minaur
Serving to stay in the set, De Minaur fist pumps after 0-15, but is then banjaxed by Djoko’s power in returning service. The great man hits it much harder than he used to. Perhaps because of that hammy, which he does seem to be stretching a bit. If De Minaur can stay in this, perhaps he has a chance. Until then, a break point, a set point is offered up, and snaffled up. Too easy, and De Minaur hasn’t even played too badly.
Djokovic* 5-2 De Minaur
And this is what he does, a neat service game means he has control of the set.
Djokovic* 4-2 De Minaur
The pressure goes on now, and to 0-40 and three break points. And with a rather weak forehand, De Minaur can only net. Oh dear.
Updated
Djokovic* 3-2 De Minaur
30-30 on the great man’s serve but some precise serving sees him out.
Djokovic 2-2 *De Minaur
It goes to 30-30, danger for De Minaur? Djok goes wide with a forehand to hand over game point. But the first deuce of the game comes. An overhit forehand baseline hit pits De Minaur at an advantage before a major rally follows and it’s De Minaur who cracks in misreading a punched backhand and being unable to keep it in. But then Djokovic does much the same. De Minaur sees it out, well done, though signs of vulnerability, too.
Djokovic* 2-1 De Minaur
Djok leaps up for a backhand and nets for 15-15. We are looking for signs of weakness but his next backhand sends his opponent scrabbling into the Yarra River so no worries there. The next backhand is guided down the line, the one following that is less precise. Still, a skidding serves sees it out.
Djokovic 1-1 *De Minaur
Impressive service game from De Minaur, he’s served out to love, an ace included.
Djokovic* 1-0 De Minaur
And we’re off, Djokovic serving first as his sneakers squeak during an aggressive first point. His hammy is taped up but he serves out, though is sent sprawling by a De Minaur backhand for 40-15. An ace gets the job done. Djokovic’s grunts seem noticeably loud.
Djokovic and De Minaur take to the court for a knock-up. The big question is the health of Djokovic’s hamstring, which could twang at any minute.
The Rod Laver just saw Andrey Rublev beat Holger Rune in five sets, and that’s delayed the start of this match for a few minutes. In the battle of the Americans, Ben Shelton beat JJ Wolf in four.
Roberto Batista Agut is taking on Tommy Paul, the American, on Margaret Court’s court, and Paul is a set up, with the second set going on serve.
Elsewhere, via PA Media.
Aryna Sabalenka gave a statement of her intent at the Australian Open by powering past Belinda Bencic to reach the quarter-finals. Sabalenka was superb in a 7-5 6-2 victory over 12th seed Bencic.
Sabalenka will be a big favourite to make the final from the bottom half, particularly following the exit of fourth seed Caroline Garcia in another upset. Garcia ended last season by winning the biggest title of her career at the WTA Finals and arrived in Melbourne as one of the favourites but fell to a shock loss against 45th-ranked Magda Linette.
The Pole, who has unexpectedly gone further than her compatriots Iga Swiatek and Hubert Hurkacz, claimed a 7-6 (3) 6-4 victory to make the first grand slam quarter-final of her career.
Croatian Donna Vekic, who ended the run of 17-year-old Linda Fruhvirtova with a 6-2 1-6 6-3 victory. Former world number one Karolina Pliskova has slid virtually unnoticed through the draw, reaching the last eight with a 6-0 6-4 victory over Zhang Shuai.
The UK TV coverage reminds us that Alex de Minaur is the paramour of plucky Brit Katie Boulter. Her man is currently warming up in the bowels of the Rod Laver, some natty dance steps putting his fibres through stretching and flexing.
Top seed Nadal described the balls, which appear to fluff up quickly, as “worse quality” than the previous year at Melbourne Park, while Murray labelled them “flat”. Nine-time Australian Open champion Djokovic said they were slower than before and seriously affected play.
After demonstrating the balls’ lack of bounce to the umpire during his second round match against Alex Molcan, Canada’s Felix Auger Aliassime said the situation was “crazy” and the balls “terrible”.
Jack Draper, who is sponsored by Dunlop, said: “They start off flying a lot. Then all of a sudden they get quite fluffy. A couple of them went very soft very quickly. I sort of gave them to the ref.”
The latest reporting from Melbourne from our team.
Preamble
So, Djokovic is going for 22, and his tenth title, but all is not well in Team Djoko. At least he’s actually here but Flinders Park’s winningest player is a tad hobbled and though he made relatively short work of Dimitrov in the last round is probably not 100 percent. Step forward Alex de Minaur, the home hero, though from Sydney, who has made relatively serene progress to this point. He’s got as far this year as he’s ever been at a Slam. They have never played each other so we are into new territory, even if de Minaur did beat Nadal in the warmups for Melbourne.
