Australian Open
Djokovic in slow motion into the quarter-finals in Melbourne
Reaching the quarterfinals of the Australian Open: Novak Djokovic. photo
© Asanka Brendon Ratnayake/AP
Novak Djokovic gets rolling in Melbourne. Against a Frenchman, he dictates what happens at will. The Serb is back in title form.
After initial difficulties comes Novak Djokovic is getting better and better at the Australian Open. In the round of 16, the defending champion outclassed the Frenchman Adrian Mannarino 6:0, 6:0, 6:3 in Melbourne and showed his best tournament performance so far this year.
Djokovic only needed 1:44 hours for his comfortable victory. Mannarino’s strain was clearly noticeable after three five-set wins in the previous games.
“The first two sets were the best I’ve played in a long time,” said Djokovic after his impressive performance. “All in all it was a great performance,” said the ten-time Melbourne winner. “I’m on a very good path in terms of health and sport,” said Djokovic, who was struggling with a cold at the start of the tournament.
In the quarterfinals, the 24-time Grand Slam tournament winner will face American Taylor Fritz on Tuesday. The 26-year-old beat last year’s finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas from Greece 7:6 (7:3), 5:7, 6:3, 6:3.