Izuchukwu Okosi
Australian Open favourite, Novak Djokovic, overcame local boy, Alex de Minaur 6-2 6-1 6-2 to ease into the quarter-finals of the Australian Open on Monday.
It was a statement win in his quest for a 10th title at the Grand Slam that has only been threatened by a hamstring issue.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelThe victory was Djokovic’s 38th consecutive win on Australian soil and the fewest number of games he has dropped points in a match.
The Serbian, Djokovic was a doubt for this year’s Australian Open due to visa issues but has made the tournament memorable.
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There was a breathless start to the match when De Minaur crashed a forehand into the net to allow the fourth seed to go up 4-2 and the Serbian consolidated the break and struck again to claim the first set.
Having never lost at Melbourne Park since the fourth round in 2018, _the 35-year-old was in no mood to give De Minaur a sniff of a chance on Rod Laver Arena, as he raced out of the blocks and dominated his opponent with blistering shots on both wings.
“I can’t say I’m sorry you’ve not watched a longer match,” Djokovic told fans.
“I wanted to win in straight sets. Once on the court, you have to deal with a lot of things… the first four, five games were close and after the break I started feeing more loose and more aggressive.
“He was a bit more nervous and that was my opportunity to capitalise. Tennis is a quick, dynamic sport, so things change in a matter of moments, but I was able to play my best match of the year,” Djokovic stressed.
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.
