Djokovic survives Wawrinka marathon
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E-mail Shanghai Daily, January 21, 2013
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Novak Djokovic celebrates after winning the five-set thriller against Stanislas Wawrinka on Jan.20, 2013. |
Novak Djokovic held off a valiant Swiss man for a five-hour, five-set victory last night, extending his winning streak to 18 matches at the Australian Open and then ripping off his shirt to celebrate.
The big surprise, though, is that it was a fourth-round match against Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland, not Roger Federer.
Djokovic held off 15th-seeded Wawrinka 1-6, 7-5, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 12-10 in a momentum-swinging match to reach the quarterfinals for a 15th consecutive major.
The style was reminiscent of his 5-hour, 53-minute, five-set final win in Melbourne last year against Rafael Nadal, only 51 minutes shorter.
Djokovic praised the 27-year-old Wawrinka, saying "he deserved equally to be a winner".
Djokovic, seeking to become the first man in the professional era to win three successive Australian Open titles, will now meet fifth seed Tomas Berdych in the quarterfinals.
Earlier, Maria Sharapova enjoyed the smoothest passage to the quarterfinals in history. The world No. 2 clocked up her fifth 6-0 set score of the first week as she blitzed Kirsten Flipkens 6-1, 6-0 to reach the quarters for the loss of just five games, smashing the tournament record.
Sharapova, the statuesque Russian who clinched the title in 2008, won her first two matches 6-0, 6-0, a double not achieved at a grand slam since 1985, and then floored Venus Williams 6-1, 6-3 in the third round.
She beats the tournament record of eight games lost en route to the last eight, held by Monica Seles and Steffi Graf.
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