Serbia’s Novak Djokovic reacts to a point against Czech Jiri Lehecka during their men’s singles match on day eight of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on January 19, 2025. (Photo by DAVID GRAY / AFP)
Irrepressible ten-time champion Novak Djokovic set up a successful 2025 Australian Open quarter-final on Sunday with Carlos Alcaraz after defeating Czech Jiri Lehecka.
The 37-year-old Serbian, aiming for a record 25th Grand Slam, beat the 24th seed 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (7/4) at the Rod Laver Enviornment.
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It sent him to the quarter-finals at Melbourne Park for the 15th time, a record he now shares with Roger Federer and one ahead of Rafael Nadal and John Newcombe.
READ: Australian Open: Carlos Alcaraz to the quarterfinals after Jack Draper’s injury
The victory also extended his all-time mark to 61 for most quarterfinal appearances in majors, three ahead of the Swiss great.
His reward is a showdown Tuesday with third seed Alcaraz, who has already won four Grand Slam titles by age 21 but has never made it past the quarterfinals of the Australian Open.
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The Spaniard set up the clash after Britain’s Jack Draper retired during their round of 16 match, losing 7-5, 6-1.
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“Being in the quarterfinals, I’m going to approach the match the same as in the previous matches against him, and we’ll see,” Alcaraz said of Djokovic.
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“When we see him play, he looks young again, so… It’s incredible. “He is in very good shape.”
READ: Novak Djokovic beats Roger Federer to victory at the Australian Open
But the Spaniard added: “I am prepared and I know what I have to do in the quarterfinals.”
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Djokovic and Alcaraz have met seven times with the Serb winning 4-3, including victory in their last clash in the final of the Paris Olympics.
They have met in Grand Slams three times, two of them in the Wimbledon final and the Spaniard won on both occasions.
But they have never played at Melbourne Park, where Djokovic has achieved his greatest success.
Lehecka won the pre-Brisbane Worldwide event, where Djokovic lost in the quarterfinals, but was never seriously in the spotlight on the big stage.
Djokovic quickly pressed his serve and earned a break in the eighth game of the first set when the Czech double-faulted.
READ: Australian Open: Djokovic launches bid for record 25th Grand Slam crown
Another break on Lehecka’s first serve set the tone for the second set with Djokovic dominating from the baseline.
The young Czech changed tactics in a closer third set, pushing Djokovic further towards the crimson while increasing the intensity of his serve.
It reached a tiebreaker where the Serb hit some impressive shots to seal the victory.
Against Draper, Alcaraz was on top when the Brit lost control on a sweltering afternoon due to “multiple really sore areas.”
Draper, seeded number 15, needed five units to win his first three matches in Melbourne, coming back in all of them to stay in the tournament, and that finally caught up with him.
“It’s not the way I wanted to win. But obviously I’m happy to play another quarterfinal here in Australia,” Alcaraz said.
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“Physically I feel very good. Therefore, when we reach the second week of a Grand Slam, it is important to feel good physically because now the matches are even more difficult.”
