Australian Open 2024 results: Novak Djokovic reaches quarterfinals with ruthless victory

January 21, 2024, 04:57 GMT

Updated 26 minutes ago

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Djokovic is on his way to his record-equalling 11th men's singles title in Melbourne

Venue: Melbourne Park. Dates: 14th – 28th January
Coverage: Tennis Breakfast commentary daily from 07:00 GMT on Radio 5 Sports Extra and ` Sounds, with selected live text commentary and match reports on the ` Sport website and app

Top seed Novak Djokovic made an ominous advance to the quarter-finals of the Australian Open by mercilessly destroying French number 20 seed Adrian Mannarino.

Djokovic, seeking a record 25th Grand Slam title, claimed a dominant 6-0, 6-0, 6-3 victory in an hour and 44 minutes.

The 36-year-old will next face either Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas – which would be a repeat of last year's final – or American Taylor Fritz.

“The first two sets were the best I've played in a long time,” he said.

By the time Mannarino won the second game of the third set, Djokovic was on track to become the first player since 1993 to win all three sets at a Grand Slam without losing a game – a feat never achieved at the Australian Open was achieved.

When Mannarino won the game, the Rod Laver Arena crowd cheered wildly and the Frenchman beamed a broad smile.

“I really wanted to lose the game because the tension was building in the stadium,” Djokovic joked afterwards.

“I needed to get that out of the way so I could get back to focusing on what I needed to do to finish the game. I played great from the first point to the last.”

With an 11th title in Melbourne, Djokovic would surpass Margaret Court's record of 24 Grand Slam victories.

Djokovic had lost sets in the first two rounds and said he was battling illness, but found form in the third round against Tomas Martin Etcheverry.

However, he repeatedly prevailed in long rallies against Mannarino, whose three previous matches in the tournament had all been won over five sets, which forced long rallies.

“The last few days have been really good,” he said.

“Things are going in a positive direction in terms of my health and tennis, so I’m very happy with where I am at the moment.”

“All in all, a great performance.”