Australian Open: A duel Alcaraz – Djokovic in the quarterfinals

Novak Djokovic (7th) quietly reached the quarter-finals of the Australian Open, where he will face world No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz on Tuesday in Melbourne, also qualified on Sunday as did Alexander Zverev (2nd) and Aryna Sabalenka (1st). ).

Ten-time winner of the Australian Open, Novak Djokovic did not tremble. Facing the Czech Jiri Lehecka (29th), the Serbian won 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (7/4), and reached the quarter-finals for the 15th time in Australia. A record that he shares with Roger Federer.

The world No. 7 will meet Carlos Alcaraz (3rd) on Tuesday for the quarter-finals in Melbourne, expected since the draw.

Earlier in the Rod Laver Arena, Alcaraz won the first two sets against Jack Draper (18th) before the Briton gave up. Present in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open for the second year in a row, Alcaraz hopes to go “further” this year and win the only Grand Slam title he is missing.

The winner of the Djokovic-Alcaraz duel could meet Alexander Zverev in the semi-finals. The world No. 2 defeated Frenchman Ugo Humbert (14th) 6-1, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2. In search of his first Grand Slam title at 27, the German will face in the quarters the American Tommy Paul (11th), easy winner of Alejandro Davidovich (66th) 6-1, 6-1, 6-1.

“He is close to the top 10. He is very different from the last times I faced him,” Zverev underlined about his future opponent, with whom he has already trained. “He is a very intelligent player, capable of changing tactics several times. He can do anything on a tennis court. I expect a very difficult battle,” he warned.

Double title holder in Melbourne, Aryna Sabalenka, imperial against the young Russian Mirra Andreeva (15th), was on Sunday the first player to qualify for the quarter-finals. The Belarusian, winner of the Brisbane tournament at the beginning of January, won 6-1, 6-2 in just over an hour on the court of the Rod Laver Arena. His 18th victory in a row in Melbourne, an unprecedented performance since 2014.

The world No. 1 will face Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (32nd) to try to secure a place in the last four. The latter, who leads 2-1 in her confrontations with Sabalenka, recalled that her victories date back (2019 and 2021). The Belarusian “has clearly become another player now, very powerful. I don’t know what to expect,” admitted Pavlyuchenkova, the oldest in the women’s draw (33 years old), “surprised” to be in the quarter-finals after a preseason that was approached more “comfortably” than in the past. .

Paula Badosa beat Serbian Olga Danilovic (55th) earlier in the afternoon with a score of 6-1, 7-6 (7/2). The Spaniard equals the best performance of her Grand Slam career, having reached the quarter-finals at Roland Garros in 2021 and the US Open in 2024.

A possible first semi-final would “mean a lot” for Badosa, who however warned that she still lacked experience in the quarter-finals of major tournaments. For Coco Gauff, her future opponent, Badosa is “riding on good momentum. She can serve well on both ends of the court, she moves really well and knows how to play aggressively. She’s a tough opponent,” warned the American, who lost three of her previous six matches against the Spaniard.