Venue: Melbourne Park Date: 19 January-1 February
Coverage: BBC Red Button, BBC One & Two (including all Andy Murray matches), Radio 5 Live sports extra, BBC Sport website (Red Button coverage streamed on website throughout fortnight)
Friday: Wozniacki v Dokic followed by Federer v Safin live on Red Button from 0830 GMT
 Djokovic was not at his best but did enough to break Delic's resolve
|
Defending champion Novak Djokovic was given a stern test by Amer Delic before winning 6-2 4-6 6-3 7-6 (7-4) to reach round four of the Australian Open.
Djokovic sauntered through the first set but Delic hit back in the second.
After losing the third, Delic had two set points in the fourth but Djokovic prevailed on a tie-break and will now meet Marcos Baghdatis or Mardy Fish.
Later on Friday, world number two Roger Federer takes on 2005 champion Marat Safin in an eagerly awaited contest.
It is a repeat of the 2004 final, from which Federer emerged triumphant, and the winner will remain on course for a semi-final against Djokovic.
The Serb was made to work much harder than expected against Delic, a Bosnia-born American who entered the main draw as a lucky loser.
Delic seemed nervous and struggled to find any sort of consistency in the first set, which Djokovic wrapped up in 32 minutes.
 |
It was a great battle. I look on the positive side - I played a tough match, which is good for my game and my rhythm
Novak Djokovic
|
But with vocal sections of the crowd on his side, Delic began to relax, the winners started to flow and the second set followed.
Despite not playing his best tennis, Djokovic gained the single break required to snatch the third set but Delic saved his best tennis for the fourth.
The world number 127 took his ace tally for the match to 16, and to the tournament to 70, before going 40-15 up on the Djokovic serve at 5-4 ahead.
But the Serb world number three kept his cool to hold and then assert his authority in the tie-break.
"It was a great battle. I look on the positive side - I played a tough match, which is good for my game and my rhythm," said Djokovic.
"I tried to finish it off in straight sets but he was serving well and I couldn't get my rhythm.
"He was serving at over 210 km per hour in the fourth set but I knew I had to stay with him, stay focused and take my chances in the tie-break.
"I tried not to think about a fifth set and I'm very happy to get through.
|
It's always good to play here - there is a big Croatian community and I hope they will be here for my next match
Marin Cilic
|
Eighth seed Juan Martin del Potro produced another impressive display to see off Luxembourg's Gilles Muller in four sets.
Muller hardly put a foot wrong in the first set, which he took on a tie-break, but Del Potro's class shone through thereafter.
The Argentine took confidence from claiming the second set, reversed a break to power through the third and gained a decisive break a 5-5 before serving out the fourth for a 6-7 (5-7) 7-5 6-3 7-5 victory.
In the fourth round Del Potro plays Marin Cilic after the number 19 seed claimed a surprise 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 6-4 victory over Spain's David Ferrer, seeded 11.
The 20-year-old Croat has now reached the fourth round in three of his six appearances at Melbourne Park and is in tremendous form.
"I moved and served very well today, which I'm really pleased about," said Cilic. "I had to mix up my game and it worked.
"It's always good to play here - there is a big Croatian community and I hope they will be here for my next match."
In the doubles, Britain's Ross Hutchins and his partner Stephen Huss were knocked out in the second by Mariusz Fyrstenberg and Marcin Matkowski, the sixth seeds from Poland.
No comments:
Post a Comment