Novak Djokovic humiliated Adrian Mannarino in an imposing victory of 6-0, 6-0, 6-3, showcasing he still is the favorite in the 2024 Australian Open. Djokovic was flawless and practically made no mistakes against the world No. 19.
Djokovic’s performance in Melbourne improved from the early rounds. In the first round, he faced an unknown Dino Prizmic who played evenly and posed challenges to the Serbian, eventually securing the victory in four sets, similar to his match against Alexei Popyrin. In the third round against the 30th seed Tomas Etcheverry, Djokovic displayed better form, arriving in good rhythm to face Mannarino.
The 35-year-old Frenchman showed that he is in the prime of his career, winning three five-set battles in his journey through the tournament. He left behind Stan Wawrinka, Jaume Munar, and caused a major upset by eliminating the 16th seed Ben Shelton in the third round in an incredible battle from start to finish.
In the first game of the match, Mannarino had two break opportunities that Djokovic ultimately resolved. The Serbian sought a break in the next game and succeeded on his third attempt, quickly taking the lead over the Frenchman. From there, the set was completely one-sided, with the 24-times Grand Slam champion winning 16 of the last 20 points to finish the set with an incredible 6-0.
Mannarino’s nightmare continued in the second set, where he once again lost his serve right at the beginning of the set. With the score at 2-0, ‘Nole’ struggled with his serve but managed to save a break point in the longest game of the match with 18 points. Being 3-0 down, the world No. 19 crumbled again and won only two of the last 16 points of the set. In both the first and second sets, Mannarino was ineffective with his serve, winning only 38% and 25% of points with the first serve, respectively.
The third set was the only moment when Mannarino was competitive against the world No. 1, but it wasn’t enough. He started by winning his first game with the help of his serve, but in his next service turn, Djokovic once again secured a break to take an almost insurmountable lead.
Mannarino fought in the last games and won his next two service games comfortably, although he did not threaten Djokovic on his serve. This time, with only a one-break advantage, the 24-times Grand Slam champion closed the match with a score of 6-0, 6-0, 6-3. In the quarterfinals, he could face the 7th seed Stefanos Tsitsipas (in a rematch of the 2023 final) or the American 12th seed Taylor Fritz.
Make that 58 Grand Slam quarter-final appearances🤩
With the win, @DjokerNole equals @rogerfederer‘s all-time record for most appearances in the last 8 at the majors.@AustralianOpen | #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/phXz90nuWW
— ATP Tour (@atptour) January 21, 2024
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