The Serb destroyed Alex De Miñaur in three sleeves and the man from Castellón was defeated by Tommy Paul, who exits the first Grand Slam of the year without Spanish representation in the quarterfinals
Beating Novak Djokovic at the Rod Laver Arena is a challenge similar to beating Rafa Nadal at Philippe Chatrier at Roland Garros. Despite his obvious physical problems and misgivings in his game at some stages of the matches, the feeling is that the Serb will reach the quarter-finals of the Australian Open almost flawlessly, with his tenth trophy between the eyebrows as his goal.
This Monday, Djokovic swept local player Alex De Miñaur in his fourth-round match, with the Serb only able to play five games (6-2, 6-1 and 6-2). In what was a tough game for Djokovic on paper, the Australian’s defensive style of play kept the Serb calm from the start. The Belgrade man never gave up a serve and every serve from De Minaur was an ordeal for the Australian tennis player, who found no weapons in his game to hurt the Serb.
“It was my best game of the year, my leg didn’t bother me,” said the Serb after comfortably progressing to the quarter-finals. With this triumph, Djokovic equals his record of 25 consecutive victories at the Australian Open, in which he has not lost since 2018. tiebreak of the fifth set (6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 4-6 and 7-6). The Russian will be the first ‘top 20’ to face Djokovic in this tournament.
On the same side of the box as Djokovic was Roberto Bautista, who had a golden opportunity to do something big in Melbourne, but was defeated in four sets by Tommy Paul (6-2, 4-6, 6-2, 7-5 ).
With the defeat of the player from Castellón, the Armada is without representatives in the quarter-finals of the first Grand Slam of the year, in a tournament to forget Spanish tennis. Bautista’s executioner, Tommy Paul, records eleven consecutive victories against Spanish tennis players. At this Australian Open he eliminated Davidovich and Bautista.
First time playing a major tournament outside his country and first Grand Slam quarterfinals. The American Ben Shelton, only 20 years old and not yet a professional until seven months ago, is the big surprise of the men’s draw. This Monday, in another marathon match, he beat fellow countryman JJ Wolf, who fell to Shelton in the fifth round (6-7, 6-2, 6-7, 7-6, 6-2).
The American will meet another compatriot, Tommy Paul, in the quarterfinals. For the first time in 23 years, three North Americans are fully involved in the second week of the Australian Open, a sign that the United States is experiencing its best tennis moment in years
Source: La Verdad
I am Shawn Partain, a journalist and content creator working for the Today Times Live. I specialize in sports journalism, writing articles that cover major sporting events and news stories. With a passion for storytelling and an eye for detail, I strive to be accurate and insightful in my work.
