MELBOURNE – Novak Djokovic charged into the Australian Open quarter-finals and booked a mouth-watering encounter with Carlos Alcaraz before the Serb shifted the focus by snubbing the Grand Slam’s official broadcaster and slamming them for mocking him and his fans. Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka dismissed teenager Mirra Andreeva while Coco Gauff overcame Belinda Bencic to go through to the last eight and extend their winning streaks as Melbourne Park stifled in the summer heat earlier in the day. A red-hot Djokovic then thumped Jiri Lehecka 6-3 6-4 7-6(4) to stay on course for a record 25th Grand Slam title and 11th in Melbourne but the Serb was in no mood to discuss his chances as he declined an on-court interview and curtly thanked the crowd.He then took aim at official broadcaster Channel Nine, whose reporter Tony Jones had mocked him and his fans when they were out in force cheering the Serb two days earlier. Second seed Alexander Zverev continued his sizzling form by beating Ugo Humbert 6-1 2-6 6-3 6-2 before Alcaraz eased into his second Australian Open quarter-final after injury-hampered opponent Jack Draper threw in the towel while trailing 7-5 6-1. Double defending champion Sabalenka’s 6-1 6-2 demolition of Andreeva took her run of consecutive victories at Melbourne Park to 18, while Gauff made it nine wins in a row in 2025 by seeing off Bencic, the Swiss scourge of major champions, 5-7 6-2 6-1.
Tommy Paul was the first man to book his place in the last eight with a 6-1 6-1 6-1 win over Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. Sabalenka faces Russian veteran Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who ran away with a 7-6(0) 6-0 win over Donna Vekic after the Croatian 18th seed injured her knee midway through the match.
Third seed Gauff lost her first set of the year to open her clash with Bencic, who had won seven of her last eight meetings with major champions.The 27-year-old Swiss was put on the back foot when the 2023 U.S. Open champion came out firing in the second set.Gauff continued to apply pressure and Bencic crumbled after two net cords conspired against her at 2-1 down in the third.The American could face Sabalenka in the semi-finals like last year if she can beat Spain’s 11th seed Paula Badosa, who made the quarter-finals for the first time in Melbourne by beating Olga Danilovic 6-1 7-6(2) on Margaret Court Arena.
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