Novak Djokovic to face Carlos Alcaraz in last eight of Australian Open
Djokovic defeated Jiri Lehecka while Alcaraz benefited from the retirement of Jack Draper.
Novak Djokovic will take on Carlos Alcaraz in a blockbuster quarter-final at the Australian Open on Tuesday.
Alcaraz benefited from Jack Draper’s retirement after two sets of their clash before Djokovic defeated Czech Jiri Lehecka 6-3 6-4 7-6 (4).
It will be an eighth meeting overall and fourth at a grand slam between the Serbian and Spaniard, with Djokovic having triumphed in the semi-finals at the French Open in 2023, while Alcaraz has won the last two Wimbledon finals.
Their last meeting came at Roland Garros in the Olympic final last summer, when Djokovic claimed an emotional first gold medal.
His fall in ranking to seventh means this is the earliest stage at a slam they will have done battle, and there is a huge amount on the line for both men.
Djokovic is bidding to win a record-breaking 25th slam title while Alcaraz can become the youngest man ever to complete the career Grand Slam.
Djokovic, under the guidance of his long-time rival Andy Murray, began the tournament slowly, dropping sets against unfancied Nishesh Basavareddy and Jaime Faria.
The only slight blip came at the start of the third set, when he broke serve only to be broken straight back, while Djokovic again seemed unhappy with the behaviour of some of the crowd.
The 37-year-old refused to do the customary post-match interview, instead taking the microphone to thank fans for coming, prompting loud booing on Rod Laver Arena.
There were plenty of Serbian flags evident in the stands, and it will be interesting to see who the crowd favours when Djokovic takes on Alcaraz.
The Spaniard, who has dropped only one set so far, said of the match-up with a smile: “This is not the right player to play in a quarter-final, I guess.
“But, facing Novak, for me it’s not going to change anything if I’m playing him in a quarter-final or semi-final. Probably change a little bit if it is a final, obviously.
“Being in a quarter-final, I’m going to approach the match the same as I did in the previous matches against him, and let’s see. I know my weapons. I know that I’m able to play good tennis against him, I’m able to beat him.”
The final stages are shaping up to pit the leading players against each other, with second seed Alexander Zverev also making it through.
The German recovered from losing the second set to defeat France’s Ugo Humbert 6-1 2-6 6-3 6-2 and will next face 12th seed Tommy Paul, who beat a physically hampered Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-1 6-1 6-1.
