Novak Djokovic steamrolled local hope Alex de Minaur 6-2, 6-1, 6-2 on Monday to ease into the quarterfinals of the Australian Open with a statement win in his quest for a 10th title at the Grand Slam.
Djokovic struck first after a breathless start to the match when De Minaur crashed a forehand into the net to allow the No. 4 to go up 4-2. The Serbian consolidated the break and struck again to claim the first set.
Having not lost at Melbourne Park since the fourth round in 2018, the 35-year-old was in no mood to give De Minaur a chance at the Rod Laver Arena, as he raced out of the blocks and dominated his opponent with blistering shots on both wings.
Up 2-0 in sets and with his heavily-strapped hamstring cooperating after scares in the last two rounds, Djokovic rounded off a dominant display by taking the first four games of the third set and finished in style to gear up for a tie with No. 5 Andrey Rublev.
“I cannot say I’m sorry that you haven’t watched a longer match,” Djokovic said after the match.
“I really wanted to win in straight sets.
“Tonight it wasn’t obvious that I was dealing with an injury, I didn’t feel anything today, so today was great.”
The winner of Djokovic’s quarterfinal tie against Rublev will face either Ben Shelton or Tommy Paul.
