On January 19, the fourth round of the Australian Open men's singles competition took place. Novak Djokovic, the 10-time champion, faced off against Czech player Jiri Lehecka. Djokovic defeated Lehecka in straight sets with a score of 6-3/6-4/7-6(4), eliminating him from the tournament. This marks the 15th time Djokovic has advanced to the quarterfinals at the Australian Open and the 61st time he has reached the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam event in his career. Djokovic will now face Carlos Alcaraz in a highly anticipated match between two Grand Slam champions.
Player Profiles:
Djokovic is currently ranked 7th in the world and is seeded 7th in this year's Australian Open men's singles. He has won 24 Grand Slam titles, including 10 at the Australian Open. In the first three rounds of this year's tournament, Djokovic successfully advanced to the round of 16 by defeating Barsova Reedy, Faria, and Mahachi.
Lehecka is currently ranked 29th in the world and is seeded 24th in the Australian Open men's singles. His best performance in a Grand Slam was reaching the quarterfinals at the 2023 Australian Open. This year, Lehecka made it to the round of 16 for the third time in his career after defeating Chu Chenli, Gaston, and Bonsi.
Head-to-Head Record:
The only previous meeting between Djokovic and Lehecka occurred during the 2024 United Cup group stage, where Djokovic emerged victorious in three sets.
Match Recap:
In the first set, both players held their serves until the eighth game when Djokovic achieved a crucial break. He then successfully served out the set to win 6-3.
In the second set, Djokovic broke his opponent's serve right away and saved a break point in the second game to take a 2-0 lead. In the tenth game, Djokovic held serve with ease to win the set 6-4.
In the third set, Djokovic broke serve in the opening game, but Lehecka broke back in the second game. The set went to a tiebreak, where Djokovic performed better and won 7-4.
Next Round Opponent:
Having successfully advanced to the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, Djokovic will face Alcaraz in the quarterfinals to compete for a spot in the semifinals.