Djokovic edges out Halys in two tiebreaks in Adelaide; plays Shapovalov next

Novak Djokovic defeated Quentin Halys 7-6 (3), 7-6 (5) on Thursday night. He’ll play Canadian Denis Shapovalov, the No 7 seed, in the quarter-finals

Novak Djokovic, Adelaide 2023 | © AI / Reuters / Panoramic

Tennis Majors

January 5, 2023

Serb Novak Djokovic, the top seed, advanced to the quarter-finals of the Adelaide International 1 by defeating Frenchman Quentin Halys 7-6 (3), 7-6 (5) at Memorial Drive Tennis Centre on Thursday. Halys, ranked No 64, led 5-2 in the first set thanks to an early break but was unable to push home his advantage.

Has not lost in Australia since 2018 🤯@DjokerNole defeats Quentin Halys in a tight battle 7-6 7-6 at #AdelaideTennis. pic.twitter.com/sBDWiX6IH4
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) January 5, 2023

“It was a great performance from my opponent today,” Djokovic said of Halys in his on-court interview. “I want to congratulate him for great quality tennis and a great fight today. Tough luck, but he played like a top 10 player today, no doubt.”

Halys led 5-2 in the first set

Djokovic won nine points in a row, and 12 of the next 14 points, to draw even at 5-5. He didn’t lose his serve again in the match and he was the better player in the two tiebreaks.

The world No 5 will face Canadian Denis Shapovalov, the No 7 seed, next, 18 months after their clash in the Wimbledon semi-final.

"Every match now gets tougher and I'm gonna be ready for that." 👍@DjokerNole looks ahead to facing @denis_shapo for the first time since their 2021 #Wimbledon Semi-final. #AdelaideTennis pic.twitter.com/5Sw1p9UG2n
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) January 5, 2023

The 35-year-old Serb won against Frenchman Constant Lestienne (6-3, 6-2) ahead of his victory. Halys had beaten Australian wildcard Jordan Thompson (6-3, 6-4) before meeting Djokovic.

Adelaide ATP250, other second-round results (Memorial Drive Tennis Centre, hard, USD 642.735, most recent results first):