Novak Djokovic Cruises into Australian Open Quarterfinals, Coco Gauff Makes History
Melbourne, Australia –
Novak Djokovic continued his pursuit of a record-extending 25th Grand Slam title with a dominant 6-0, 6-0, 6-3 victory over France’s Adrian Mannarino in the fourth round of the Australian Open on Sunday. The Serbian maestro reached the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam for the 58th time, equaling Roger Federer’s all-time record.
Djokovic, who faced tough challenges in the opening two rounds, dropping a set in each, found his rhythm and produced a clinical performance against Mannarino. The first two sets were a masterclass from the Serb, as he raced through them without dropping a single game. A rare triple bagel seemed on the cards, which would have been the first at the Australian Open and at any Grand Slam since 1993. However, Mannarino managed to salvage some pride by winning a game in the third set, much to the relief of Djokovic, who admitted that the tension was building up in the stadium.
“I really wanted to lose that game in the third set, because the tension was building up so much in the stadium,” Djokovic said after the match. “I just needed to get that one out of the way so I can refocus on what I needed to do to close out the match.”
In the quarterfinals, Djokovic will face American Taylor Fritz, who upset last year’s finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas in four sets. Fritz, the tournament’s 12th seed, had never defeated a top-10 player at a Grand Slam before, but he played with composure and limited his unforced errors to reach his maiden Australian Open quarterfinal.
Fritz’s compatriot Coco Gauff also made history on Sunday, reaching her first-ever Australian Open quarterfinal with an impressive 6-1, 6-2 victory over Poland’s Magdalena Frech. The 19-year-old American extended her Grand Slam winning streak to 11 matches, including her US Open title last year. Gauff dominated the match from start to finish, hitting 21 winners compared to Frech’s seven and never facing a break point.
Gauff’s assured performances belie her young age, as she herself admitted after the match. “I just feel like I’ve lived so many lives the last four years, that I just feel older than 19,” she told reporters. “Yeah, I definitely do forget my age a lot.”
Gauff became the youngest woman to reach the Australian Open quarterfinals since Agnieszka Radwanska in 2008. She will face Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk in the quarterfinals.
Other Notable Results from Day 8:
- No. 3 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas crashed out of the tournament in the fourth round, losing to Taylor Fritz in four sets.
- No. 8 seed Andrey Rublev also suffered a fourth-round exit, falling to No. 11 seed Holger Rune in straight sets.
- No. 6 seed Maria Sakkari advanced to the quarterfinals with a straight-sets victory over Donna Vekić.
- No. 7 seed Coco Gauff continued her impressive run with a dominant win over Magdalena Frech.
- No. 10 seed Madison Keys reached the quarterfinals with a three-set victory over Victoria Azarenka.
Upcoming Quarterfinal Matchups:
Men’s Singles:
- Novak Djokovic vs. Taylor Fritz
- Holger Rune vs. Andrey Rublev
Women’s Singles:
- Maria Sakkari vs. Donna Vekić
- Coco Gauff vs. Marta Kostyuk
- Madison Keys vs. Victoria Azarenka
The Australian Open quarterfinals promise to deliver exciting and high-quality tennis as the remaining players vie for a place in the semifinals.
Tune in to the Australian Open for more thrilling matches and captivating storylines!