Izuchukwu Okosi
World number one, Novak Djokovic, played his 100th match at the Australian Open with a dominant victory over Tomas Martin Etcheverry to reach the fourth round of the first grand slam of the year on Friday.
The Serbian top seed Djokovic was in dominant shape in his title defence and triumphed over the 30th seed with an emphatic 6-3 6-3 7-6 (7-2) win.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelThe victory ensures that Djokovic is still in the frame to achieve a 25th Grand Slam title which will see him edge Australian Margaret Court on the all-time record.
The 36-year-old revealed that it was the best performance he has had in the tournament so far.
“It was the best performance I’ve had during this tournament,” Djokovic said in his post match press reaction.
Djokovic has won a total of 92 of his 100 matches in Melbourne and has become the first man to play 100 matches at all four Grand Slams in a calendar year with 108 matches at the French Open, 103 at Wimbledon and 101 at the US Open.
Up next for Djokovic is 35-year-old French tennis star Adrian Mannarino who saw off 21-year-old Ben Shelton in his third five-set win in a row also on Friday.
The 10-time champion, Djokovic has had a storied campaign in Melbourne so far this year, dropping sets against Dino Prizmic and Alexei Popyrin. He was involved in a confrontation with a fan against Popyrin over a statement made by the man from the stands.
In his first game against Argentine, Etcheverry who had caused upsets by eliminating Andy Murray and Gael Monfils in the previous rounds, Djokovic grabbed a 31st win in a row at the Australian Open.
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
