Australian Open: Djokovic, Alcaraz Set Quarterfinal Showdown

Novak Djokovic, Australian Open
Novak Djokovic (photo: Australian Open TV/YouTube)

MELBOURNE/WASHINGTON, January 19, 2025 (by Michael Dickens)

Ten-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic, who is in search of a record-extending 25th major crown, and rival Carlos Alcaraz, who only needs to win the Happy Slam title to become the youngest man to complete a career Grand Slam, set up a quarterfinal showdown after winning their respective round of 16 matches Sunday in Melbourne.

The seventh-seeded Djokovic eased past hard-hitting No. 24 seed Jiri Lehecka of Czechia, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (4), in two hours and 39 minutes on Rod Laver Arena. The victory by the Serbian great equaled Roger Federer‘s record of reaching 15 men’s singles quarterfinals in Melbourne.

Playing a Czechian for the second-straight round, after beating No. 26 seed Tomas Machac on Friday, the 37-year-old Djokovic needed two hours and 39 minutes to beat Lehecka, but he did it by winning 81 percent of his first-serve points, hit 27 winners and broke his opponent’s serve three times in 11 opportunities. Djokovic pressured Lehecka into committing 44 unforced errors.

Afterward, Djokovic eschewed doing a conventional on-court interview with Channel 9’s Jim Courier. Instead, he took the microphone and said: “Thank you very much for being here tonight. I appreciate your presence and the support. I’ll see you next round. Thank you very much.”

According to the Associated Press, later at his news conference, Djokovic said he will not speak with the Australian broadcaster Channel 9 until he receives an apology “for on-air comments made by one of its employees, Tony Jones.

“Djokovic said Jones, whom he did not name, ‘made a mockery of Serbian fans and also made insulting and offensive comments toward me.’

“Djokovic said he will continue to avoid speaking to the network.”

Alcaraz advances after Draper retires

Meanwhile, the 21-year-old Alcaraz took on his first Top-20 opponent during the Aussie fortnight, British 15th seed Jack Draper. While Alcaraz had never defeated a Top-20 player in Melbourne, since falling to Alexander Zverev in the 2024 AO quarterfinals, he’s won all seven matches he has contested against Top-20 players at the majors.

Unfortunately, Draper was forced to retire due to tendinitis in his hip, which he was unable to ignore. It advanced Alcaraz, who led after two sets 7-5, 6-1, to his 10th Grand Slam quarterfinal, equaling the Open Era record for most major quarterfinals reached by a man aged 21 or younger.

“It’s not the way I want to win the match to get through to the next round,” Alcaraz said during his on-court interview. “I’m just happy to play in another quarterfinal in Australia but a little bit sad for Jack, he’s a nice person. He doesn’t deserve to get injured.

“He couldn’t prepare the start of the season well because of an injury. We should have done a good week of preseason, but we couldn’t because of an injury as well. I’m just a little bit sad for him but I’m sure he’s going to come back stronger and I want to wish him a speedy recovery.”

Draper had survived three five-set matches during the first week, defeating Mariano Navone, Thanasi Kokkinakis and Aleksandar Vukic, and the 12 hours and 34 minutes of court time took its toll on him Sunday against the Spaniard.

“I think it’s just one of those things, just massive overload,” Draper said in his post-match news conference. “This area of my body, if I don’t get that right and I don’t make good decisions, I don’t want to miss three or four months because of that.”

Draper went on to explain: “After how much I have played, I didn’t pull up amazingly well. I was really, really sore after I played my last match. Obviously managing this hip thing, which I have been managing the last week or so.

“Wasn’t expecting to come this far, actually, in all honesty. Obviously with all the hours I have played, been a bit too much on my body. I felt like today, you know, from the first couple of games, I felt everything getting worse. Yeah, not ideal to end this way.”

Gauff loses a set but remains undefeated in 2025

World No. 3 and third seed Coco Gauff of the United States finally lost a set – it was inevitable after winning 16 consecutive sets to start the 2025 season – but she remained undefeated after reaching the quarterfinal round with a 5-7, 6-2, 6-1 win over former World No. 4 and Olympic gold medalist Belinda Bencic of Switzerland on Rod Laver Arena Saturday afternoon.

With her comeback completed in two hours and 26 minutes, Gauff’s latest win improved her win-loss record in the new season to 9-0 and advanced her to play World No. 12 Paula Badosa, whom she has split six career meetings. The 11th-seeded Spaniard defeated No. 55 Olga Danilovic of Serbia, 6-1, 7-6 (2), in an hour and 20 minutes on Margaret Court Arena.

Gauff became the first woman to start back-to-back seasons 9-0 since Victoria Azarenka in 2012-13, which coincided with the Belarusian’s two major title runs at the Australian Open. The 20-year-old American is the youngest woman to pull off the twin 9-0 starts since Monica Seles achieved the feat in 1992-93. She started her consecutive sets won streak at the United Cup earlier this month and it has continued through the first three rounds in Melbourne.

With straight-set wins over Sofia Kenin, Jodie Burrage, Leyla Fernandez and Bencic, Gauff is three victories away from winning her second major. “There’s still a lot to go for me to accomplish my goal, but I can say that I’m proud of myself and happy how I performed,” she said during her on-court interview.

“It’s funny because I felt like not too long ago, maybe a couple of years ago, I had a really bad stat line when I lost the first set. I was really bad, so I remember my dad was like ‘you’ve gotta get some fight in you’, so every time I lose the first set I kind of think about that and try to dig even deeper.

“I think just leave it out there on court, honestly. We have a saying on my team just give what you have that day and, you know, sometimes results will go your way, sometimes they don’t. Today I was just trying to put myself in the position that if I left the court I could leave proud of myself.”

Against Bencic, Gauff struggled with her serve and finished with more double faults (9) than aces (8). However, she swung a mighty racquet and finished with 42 winners despite making 45 unforced errors. She broke Bencic’s serve five times in seven tries and outpointed her 104-81.

“Belinda is obviously a great player, no matter what form she’s in,” Gauff said during her post-match news conference, giving props to the new mother who has gone 15-6 in all competitions since returning from maternity leave last November. “I just was trying to be more aggressive in the second and third [sets]. Kind of play bigger because she was playing so big.”

Badosa on the brink of returning to Top 10

Meanwhile, Gauff is a win away from achieving her second straight AO semifinal. On Tuesday, she will be facing a resurgent Badosa, who following two years of frustration in dealing with a back injury – which dropped her ranking as low as No. 140 – is on the brink of returning to the Top 10 after defeating the lefty Danilovic.

After winning the opening set 6-1, Badosa recovered nicely from 2-5 down to pull even. Then, she won a second-set tie-break 7-2 to earn her fifth win of the season. Three of Badosa’s four wins in Melbourne have come in straight sets. She hit 21 winners and converted four of eight break-point chances against Danilovic, who in the previous round upset No. 7 seed Jessica Pegula of the United States to reach her first round of 16 in Melbourne.

“Today I was honestly really nervous when I came into the match,” Badosa said afterward. “Sometimes you see matches as an opportunity. Today was one of those, I’m not going to lie. But I think I managed it really well. …

“I was always really sad because I always said this was my favorite Slam and I never made it to the last rounds,” Badosa added. “Finally I’m here and finally I think I will play the next match in Rod Laver Arena, so I’m really looking forward to that.”

Around the Australian Open

While Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz were grabbing much of the attention of fans and media at Melbourne Park on Sunday, there were two other men’s round of 16 matches taking place on the other show courts.

On Margaret Court Arena, No. 12 seed Tommy Paul of the United States, one of four American men remaining in the singles draw, garnered a lopsided triple-breadstick victory over Alejandro Davidovich Fokina of Spain, 6-1, 6-1, 6-1, in 87 minutes to reach his second Australian Open quarterfinal – and third at a major – two years after a semifinal run at Melbourne Park. The 66th-ranked Spaniard in his two previous matches came from two-sets-to-none down but had nothing left in the tank against Paul, who finished with 25 winners.

“He obviously had some long matches. I knew that going in,” Paul, 27, said after his win. “I wanted to try and play longer points. He didn’t really let that happen in the first set. He wanted quick sets.

“When you’re playing one of those guys, it’s always tough because you don’t know at any point, he can turn it on and the match could be completely different. Those are the matches you really got to lock in the whole time.”

Meanwhile, on John Cain Arena, World No. 2 Alexander Zverev rolled to his 26th consecutive win against a lefty, defeating No. 14 seed Ugo Humbert of France, 6-1, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, to advance to his fourth AO quarterfinal. It kept Zverev’s hopes alive of winning his first Grand Slam title. It was the first time in their four career meetings ( Zverev leads their series 3-1) that they had met at a Grand Slam as well as outside the home country of either player.

In Zverev’s 11th meeting against a Top-20 player at the AO, he struck 43 winners, including 19 aces, won 84 percent of his first-serve points and remained undefeated in six matches this season. He’s now won 14 of his past 15 matches going back to his title run at the Paris Masters last fall.

“I’m extremely happy to be in the quarterfinals after losing only one set, and my opponent played incredible [to win that set],” Zverev said, quoted by the ATP website. “A week ago, I was very unsure of my level. I couldn’t play many points in practice or prepare the way I wanted.

“That’s why I’m even more happy to be in the quarterfinals, but I definitely want to play three more matches here.”

Sunday’s Australian Open results

Monday’s Australian Open order of play

By the numbers

With her fourth-round victory Sunday, Paula Badosa of Spain has equaled her best result at a major. She reached the Roland-Garros quarterfinals in 2021. The last Spanish woman to reach the AO quarterfinals was Garbiñe Muguruza in 2020.

“Quotable …”

“I am just happy with the level that I’m playing on the court. Off the court I’m feeling really comfortable here in Australia. I think it’s pretty good. Physically I’m feeling great so coming into the second week of a Grand Slam it’s really important to feel well physically because right now the matches are even tougher. I’m just ready. I think I’m doing great things off the court as well.

“I’m excited about playing my second quarterfinal in Australia and hopefully getting further this year.”

– World No. 3 and third seed Carlos Alcaraz of Spain, after advancing to the AO quarterfinals against Novak Djokovic.

 

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