Djokovic plays against Alcaraz in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open | Tennis news
The indomitable ten-time champion Novak Djokovic set up the quarterfinals of the Australian Open with Carlos Alcaraz, after defeating the Czech Jiri Lehecka.
The 37-year-old Serbian, who is chasing a record 25th Grand Slam title, beat the 24th seed 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (7/4) at Rod Laver Arena on Sunday.
It sent him into the last 16 at Melbourne Park for the 15th time, a record he now shares with Roger Federer and one ahead of Rafael Nadal and John Newcombe.
The victory also extended his own all-time mark to 61 for most quarter-final appearances at major tournaments, three ahead of the Swiss great.
His reward is a clash on Tuesday with third seed Carlos Alcaraz, who is already a four-time Slam winner at the age of 21 but has never gone beyond the quarter-finals of the Australian Open.
“We had long battles, long exchanges,” said Djokovic, who stopped only briefly for an on-court interview after the match, his hasty retreat drawing boos from the crowd.
“The matches I played against him remind me of my matches against Nadal in terms of intensity and energy on the court.
“He is a very dynamic, explosive player. Incredibly talented. Charismatic player. Great to watch – not so great to play against,” he added with a smile.
Alcaraz, of Spain, set up a clash with Djokovic after Britain’s Jack Draper retired during their last-16 match as he lost 7-5, 6-1.
“Since I’m in the quarterfinals, I’ll approach the match the same as in previous matches against him, so we’ll see,” said Alcaraz about Djokovic.
“When we see him play, it’s like he’s young again, so… It’s amazing. He’s in really good shape.”
But Alcaraz added: “I’m just ready and I know what I have to do in the quarter-finals.”
Djokovic and Alcaraz have played each other seven times, with the Serb leading 4-3, including a victory in the last clash in the final of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
They have met three times in Grand Slam tournaments, twice in the deciding Wimbledon, with the Spaniard winning both times.
However, they never played at Melbourne Park, where Djokovic achieved his greatest success.
Djokovic dominates while Alcaraz gets an early pass
Lehecka won the flagship Brisbane International event, where Djokovic lost in the quarterfinals, but he was never more serious in the showdown on the big stage.
Djokovic quickly put pressure on his serve and broke in the eighth game of the first set when the Czech made a double fault.
Another break on Lehecka’s first serve set the tone for the second set, and Djokovic dominated from the baseline.
The young Czech changed his tactics in the tighter third set, pushing Djokovic more towards the net as he stepped up his serve intensity.
It went to a tiebreak in which the Serb made several stunning shots to seal the victory.
Against Draper, Alcaraz was on top when the Brit pulled out the pin on a steamy afternoon due to “multiple areas that really hurt”.
Fifteenth-seeded Draper needed five sets to win his first three matches in Melbourne, rallying behind in all to stay in the tournament, and it finally caught up with him.
“That’s not the way I wanted to win. But obviously, I’m happy to play another quarterfinal here in Australia,” Alcaraz said.
“Physically, I feel great. Therefore, it is important that we feel good physically in the second week of the Grand Slam because currently the matches are even more difficult.”
