Novak Djokovic finally turned it on Down Under against Tomas Machac to set up an Australian Open fourth-round match with the Czech's countryman Jiri Lehecka on Sunday.
Lehecka is one of the in-form players outside the top 20 on the ATP Tour, but the recent victor in Brisbane might stand little chance if the 24-time Grand Slam champion executes as impeccably in round four despite ailing midway through his third-round win.
Match preview
© Imago
Doubts were raised about Djokovic heading into the Aussie Open third round due to the Serbian's uncharacteristically average performances in rounds one and two against wild card Nishesh Basavareddy and qualifier Jaime Faria; Machac was backed to stun the 10-time champion Down Under.
The 99-time tour winner had other ideas, though, raising his game despite physical issues early on in the second set and benefitting from an atypically subdued opponent to seal a 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 victory.
That success means that the seventh seed avoided his earliest exit at Melbourne Park since 2017, when Denis Istomin beat him in the second round, and the 37-year-old aims to build on his strongest showing so far in Sunday's contest.
Djokovic entered the opening Grand Slam of the year with a 91% win rate in Australia, where he has either made the title match or semis in his last four appearances, and showings like Friday's highlight his expertise and consistency.
That is further emphasised by his 91.5% win rate at the majors since turning 30, with the 24-time Slam champion holding a 151-14 win-loss record, and he chases a 152nd triumph to advance to the last eight, setting up a potential quarter-final tussle with Carlos Alcaraz or Jack Draper.
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Standing in his path is Lehecka, whose deepest runs have come at Melbourne Park, with the Czech player entering this year's tournament with a 63% win rate, superior to his showings at the French Open (33%), Wimbledon (60%) and the US Open (40%).
Three victories this year have seen the 24th seed improve to 8-3 in Australia, a 73% win rate before facing the 10-time champion, dropping just one set in rounds one, two and three.
By beating Benjamin Bonzi 6-2, 6-3, 6-3 on Friday, Lehecka secured his 19th success since the US Open, the highest of anyone outside the top 10, underscoring the 23-year-old's improvement on the tour.
Carrying over that momentum in the latter part of last season has led to an unbeaten start this year, with the No. 2 Czech player claiming the title in Brisbane – his second on the tour – in the lead-up to the opening Slam of 2025.
Continuing his eight-match winning run against Djokovic will require another strong showing, especially if the Serbian superstar maintains the level shown against Machac.
Tournament so far
Novak Djokovic:
First round: vs. Nishesh Basavareddy 4-6 6-3 6-4 6-2
Second round: vs. Jaime Faria 6-1 6-7[4] 6-3 6-2
Third round: vs. Tomas Machac 6-1 6-4 6-4
Jiri Lehecka:
First round: vs. Li Tu 6-1 3-6 6-3 7-5[1]
Second round: vs. Hugo Gaston 6-3 3-1 ret
Third round: vs. Benjamin Bonzi 6-2 6-3 6-3
Head To Head
United Cup (2024) - Round robin: Djokovic 6-1 6-7(3) 6-1
Djokovic won his only meeting with Lehecka at the 2024 United Cup, albeit needing three sets in the round-robin match.
His Czech opponent has a 6-16 win-loss record against top-10 players, with four of those victories coming in the last 12 months.
Strikingly, Lehecka's only win against such opponents was in the fourth round of the 2023 Aussie Open against Felix Auger-Aliassime, and he yearns for a repeat against the sport's greatest player.
We say: Djokovic to win in four sets
Very few opponents can live with Djokovic when he plays as cleanly as he did against Machac.
Sunday's outcome will be contingent on the Serbian suffering no relapse of the seeming physical issues that could have undermined his prospects of advancing to the fourth round and maintaining that third-round level.
Although Lehecka is backed to offer far more resistance than Machac, Djokovic should seal a last-eight place Down Under.
