Novak Djokovic takes a step closer to the Australian Open quarter-finals as his scheduled fourth-round opponent, Jakub Mensik, has withdrawn due to an injury to the abdominal area.
Mensik, the 20-year-old Czech 16th seed, revealed the decision on Sunday, explaining that the injury got worse during his previous matches and thus he couldn’t face his mentor at Melbourne Park.
The withdrawal hands the 10-time Australian Open winner, Djokovic, a spot in the quarter-finals, as he goes for a record-extending 25th Grand Slam title. The fourth seed’s upcoming opponent will be either American Taylor Fritz or Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti, while a possible semi-final showdown with the defending champion Jannik Sinner is on the cards.
At the same time, the Australian top-ranked player, Alex de Minaur, smashed his way into the quarter-finals for a second successive year with a dominant showing. The 26-year-old totally dismantled the 10th seed, Alexander Bublik, 6–4, 6–1, 6–1, as he continually pressed from the baseline and covered the court excellently at the Rod Laver Arena.
De Minaur, who hasn’t yet won a Grand Slam but hopes to do that at the home event just like Mark Edmondson did in 1976, will meet the top-seeded Carlos Alcaraz in the next round to determine who goes through to the semi-finals. Although the Aussie has lost all his previous matches against the Spaniard, De Minaur is sure of his current form since he has lost only one set in the entire tournament.
This win represented the seventh Grand Slam quarter-final appearance for De Minaur and it raised the spirits of the Australians who are hoping for a big run by the locals at Melbourne Park.
