Australia Open: Noval Djokovic secures place in the quarter-finals equalling a record in the process

Novak Djokovic secured a quarter-final berth in a commanding fashion at the Australian Open overnight. The world number one showcased dominance early in the match against Adrian Mannarino, winning the first 13 games and raising expectations for a historic 'triple bagel' victory. 

Despite initially battling illness and enduring two challenging matches, Djokovic has found his rhythm, displaying ominous form on the court. However, he encountered moments of frustration due to the crowd's reactions. However, after overcoming Mannarino, the Serb equalled Roger Federer's record by securing his 58th Grand Slam.

Djokovic reflected on his performance, "The best sets I’ve played in a while. I really wanted to lose that game in the third set because the tension was building up so much in the stadium. I needed to get that out of the way and refocus on what I needed to do to finish the match."

Djokovic already holds the record for most Australian Open wins as a singles competitor, having earned the championship 10 times since turning professional, and this year he looks to repeat his 2019/2020 performance by earning back-to-back Grand Slam wins at the tournament.

Expressing satisfaction with his physical and tennis condition, Djokovic looks forward to his next challenge against 12th seed Taylor Fritz. Fritz secured a significant victory over last year's runner-up Stefanos Tsitsipas, marking his first quarter-final appearance in Melbourne. 

Despite facing an 0-11 record against top-10 players at Grand Slams, Fritz emerged victorious with a 7-6 (3), 5-7, 6-3, 6-3 win. However, Fritz faces a daunting task against Djokovic, losing all eight previous encounters, including a memorable five-set match three years ago.

Tsitsipas, cheered on by Melbourne's large Greek population, failed to reach the semi-finals for the first time since 2020, concluding his impressive run at the Australian Open.