Clinical Djokovic snuffs out Machac threat to ease into Australian Open fourth round
The ten-time champion was in fine form in a 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 win over Tomas Machac on Rod Laver Arena. He’ll face No 24 seed Jiri Lehecka in the last 16
Novak Djokovic, Australian Open, 2025 © Asanka Brendon Ratnayake/AP/SIPA
Novak Djokovic quashed the potentially dangerous threat of Tomas Machac, easing past the talented Czech 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 to reach his 17th Australian Open fourth-round berth in surgical fashion.
Expectations had been high for this encounter, with the mercurial Machac a highly gifted opponent capable of pulling off huge upsets – none more so than when he defeated Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter-finals of Shanghai last season.
But the 24-time Grand Slam champion put in his strongest performance of the tournament so far and it ultimately ended up as a relatively straightforward victory for Djokovic, with Machac struggling to maintain the consistently high level required to trouble his opponent.
Despite the usual flashpoints of a few small crowd altercations and what looked to be some physical discomfort in the second set, it was business as usual for Djokovic in Melbourne.
The Serb broke in the third and sixth games en route to a very comfortable opening-set win that rapidly disappeared in a cloud of Djokovic brilliance, despite some entertaining rallies between the pair.
At the start of the second set, Machac did well to fend off two break points before earning a first break of his own in the very next game. But it was a short-lived resurgence as the world No 7 hit straight back with two breaks and two holds to turn 0-2 into 4-2 in the blink of an eye en route to a two-set lead.
A single break in the opening game of the third and final set was enough for Djokovic – a ten-time champion in Melbourne – to complete a routine win in ominous form.
“best match i’ve played in the tournament” – djokovic peaking at the right time
“I think I played really well,” Djokovic said in his on-court interview with Andrea Petkovic.
“I’m very happy with my game. I was slightly surprised, to be honest, with the result. To beat him in straight sets… He was a break up early in the second. I struggled physically there.
“I just somehow managed to turn things around. I managed to hold my serve when I needed to. Just a couple of points decided that second set – it could have gone his way.
“Overall, in the third I felt fresh and moved really well… This is definitely the best match I’ve played in the tournament.”
After two opening rounds which proved to be more of a case of finding his range and rhythm, today looked very much like the Djokovic who has enjoyed such dominance on these courts over the past two decades.
The Serb keeps alive his hopes of a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam singles title and a record-extending 11th Australian Open title, and he looks to be hitting peak form at the right time as the opening major of the season heads into its second week.
But the former world No 1 will face another supremely talented rising Czech in the form of Jiri Lehecka next, another match which is expected provide a stern test of Djokovic’s enduring title credentials.
For now, though, as has been the case for the best of the last 20 years – Novak Djokovic wins in Melbourne, and he does so in some style.
