Novak Djokovic won his 400th match at a major when he defeated Botic van de Zandschulp 6-3 6-4 7-6(4) after two hours and 44 minutes. In doing so, he reached another milestone in his seemingly endless career, becoming the first player to achieve that goal in the Open Era.
I’m trying to give these young guys a run for their money. I’m still here – I’ll stay there Novak Djokovic
It was also his 102nd at the Australian Open, equaling Roger Federer’s all-time tournament record in what was another solid performance from the ten-time Australian Open champion.
“It was a great start to the tournament,” Djokovic said as he reached his 18th fourth round in Melbourne in 21 appearances. “But I don’t get ahead of myself. Last year I learned a lesson; at some Grand Slams I got ahead of myself too early. I try to give these young boys a run for their money. I’m still here, I’ll stick with it.”
The fourth seed will next face Czech Jakub Mensik, who defeated American Ethan Quinn 6-2 7-6(5) 7-6(5) and is now just two wins away from a possible semi-final against two-time defending champion Sinner.
“It’s clear that Alcaraz and Sinner are the two best players in the world,” Djokovic said. “They are playing at a different level than all of us at the moment, but when you step on the field and roll the ball you always have a chance, especially here on the field that has given me the most in my career.”
After losing to the Dutchman at Indian Wells last year, Djokovic was aware of the danger Van de Zandschulp posed and immediately put his stamp on proceedings. He hit twelve winners to just seven unforced errors in the opening set and saved the only break point he faced,
Van de Zandschulp needed a medical timeout to treat his right shoulder after falling behind 0-3 in the second set and briefly benefited from a rare lapse of concentration from Djokovic. The fourth seed quickly struggled to regain control, but he fell in the third game of the third set and took a medical timeout of his own.
Although he dropped serve in the ensuing match, Djokovic fought back and saved two set points at 5-6 before eventually securing a hard-fought victory to advance in their three meetings.
(Photo by Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)
Italian tennis also had something to celebrate as three of their male nationals reached the round of 16 for the first time thanks to Jannik Sinner, Lorenzo Musetti and Luciano Darderi.
Musetti was the first there for the first time in his career after getting past Czech Tomas Machac 5-7 6-4 6-2 5-7 6-2 in a battle lasting four hours and 27 minutes and will now face fifth seed Taylor Fritz who brought down the curtain on Stan Wawrinka’s Australian odyssey.
“I’m pretty proud to be part of this trio that we have in the fourth round here at the Australian Open,” Musetti said. “It’s my first time, so I’m really happy. I’m proud of today’s victory.”
Darderi also overcame a tough hurdle when he defeated 15th seed Karen Khachanov to reach the fourth round at a major for the first time, but now he faces the problem of getting past his compatriot, the second-seeded Sinner.
In other action, eighth seed Ben Shelton won his third straight match in straight sets to reach the fourth round. The American defeated Shanghai champion Valentin Vacherot 6-4 6-4 7-6(5),
Next up for Shelton is Casper Ruud, who ended the day’s program around midnight when he defeated Marin Cilic 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 to prevent the 37-year-old Croatian from scoring his 600th victory. Ruud is currently insecure as he waits for news from his wife in Norway, who is about to give birth to their first child.
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