(Tennis news) Novak Djokovic defeated Alex de Minaur 6-2 6-1 6-2 to reach the quarter-finals of the Australian Open. The Serbian can equal Rafael Nadal’s tally of 22 Grand Slam titles if he wins in Melbourne, which would also be his 10th Australian Open title. However, Djokovic will now have to overcome a challenge by fifth seed Andrey Rublev in the quarter-finals, as the Russian defeated Danish teenager Holger Rune after fighting back from being 5-0 down in the final set.

One of the biggest concerns for Djokovic heading into this fixture was that he still had his left thigh strapped at the end of the match against Alex de Minaur. The Serbian has had the strap throughout the tournament as a precaution against his hamstring injury. He had also asked for a medical timeout in his third round match against Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov. Djokovic appeared to be moving freely and showed great mobility, athleticism and form in the match against Alex de Minaur that lasted two hours and six minutes. The Serbian is showing no signs of slowing down, extending his winning streak to 26 matches in Australia so far.

Alex de Minaur is now the last Australian to be eliminated from the singles category of the Grand Slam tournament. Djokovic’s next match against Rublev could prove to be a more tricky fixture as the Russian defeated 19 year old Holger Rune 6-3 3-6 6-3 4-6 7-6 (11-9). Speaking after the match, Rublev said “It’s not a rollercoaster. A rollercoaster is easier. I was 5-2 down in the fifth set, 6-5 two match points and then 5-0 in a super tie-break. This is the first time I won a match like this. To be in the quarter-final is something I will remember for sure all my life. I have no words man, I am shaking.”

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