Australian Open round-up: Wawrinka eases through to set up Djokovic re-match

David Cooper - Writer 17:54 19/01/2014
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  • Clinical: Novak Djokovic dropped just five games in his destruction of Fabio Fognini.

    Defending champion Novak Djokovic moved past clowning Italian Fabio Fognini into the Australian Open quarter-finals Sunday as he set up a repeat of last year's classic encounter with Stanislas Wawrinka.

    World number two Djokovic outclassed the Italian 15th seed in straight sets to reach the last eight in quick time, closely followed by David Ferrer and Tomas Berdych.

    Djokovic coasted to a 6-3, 6-0, 6-2 victory in just one hour 33 minutes to claim his 19th straight Grand Slam quarter-final, a total only bettered by Roger Federer (36) and Jimmy Connors (27).

    The Serb, who is bidding for a fifth Australian title and his seventh Grand Slam, also stretched his unbeaten match run to 28 since the US Open final in New York last September.

    He will next play in-form Swiss eighth seed Wawrinka, who took out Spanish 17th seed Tommy Robredo 6-3, 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/5) in the night match on Rod Laver Arena.

    Djokovic beat Wawrinka 12-10 in the fifth set of a titanic duel in the fourth round in Melbourne last year. The Swiss is yet to lose in 2014 after winning this month's Chennai Open.

    "I've felt from the start of this tournament that I've been elevating my game as the tournament is going on. Every match is better," Djokovic said. "The general feeling on the court, all the shots, using the court position really well, being aggressive, playing my style of the game.

    "That's what I've done really well today overall from the first to the last point. I haven't allowed my opponent to come back to the match."

    In a hollow contest, Djokovic broke Fognini's service six times from 22 break points and hit 33 winners past the at times lackadaisical Italian.

    Djokovic, who has been friends with Fognini since their junior playing days in Europe, maintained his focus as the theatrical Italian played to the crowd and performed with little intensity.

    It will be Djokovic's seventh straight quarter-final appearance at the Australian Open and extends his unbeaten run to 25 matches at Melbourne Park.

    Djokovic is looking to become just the second man behind Roy Emerson to win four consecutive Australian Open titles.

    Elsewhere, Spain's world number three Ferrer overcame Germany's Florian Mayer in four sets on Hisense Arena to maintain his strong record in Melbourne.

    Ferrer dropped the opening set in a tiebreaker before going on to win 6-7 (5/7), 7-5, 6-2, 6-1 in just under three hours. It is the terrier-like Spaniard's fourth consecutive quarter-final at the Australian Open and fifth overall as he bids to better his losing semi-final appearance against Djokovic last year.

    The languid Mayer, who had beaten Ferrer three times in their seven previous encounters, troubled the Spaniard in the opening set. But Ferrer progressively wore him down, hitting a total of 64 winners and claiming nine service breaks.

    "I am proud of that. The last four or five years I have played very good in the Grand Slams," Ferrer said. "Every day I am playing better. Today was my best match in the tournament and now I am in the quarter-final."

    Ferrer will next face Czech seventh seed Berdych, who was too strong for 19th-seeded South African Kevin Anderson, winning 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 in just under two hours on Margaret Court Arena.

    In the women's draw, Ana Ivanovic capitalised on Serena Williams' poor movement to take her first ever sets against the world number one, winning 4-6, 6-3, 6-3.

    Afterwards, Williams said she was on strong medication for a back injury which almost prompted her to pull out before her third-round win over Daniela Hantuchova.

    "I made a tremendous amount of errors, shots I missed I normally don't miss, I haven't missed since the '80s. I'm just not used to missing those shots," she said. "I think Ana just played a really good match. She did what it takes to win."

    China's Li Na was irresistible in her 6-2, 6-0 win over Russian 22nd seed Ekaterina Makarova as the two-time finalist reached the last eight in just under an hour.

    The 2011 French Open winner will next play fellow veteran Flavia Pennetta, who at 31 is exactly one day older than the Chinese number one.

    Italy's Pennetta beat German Angelique Kerber 6-1, 4-6, 7-5 and in the evening session, teenager Bouchard beat Australian wildcard Casey Dellacqua in three sets to become the first Canadian Grand Slam quarter-finalist in 22 years.

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