Novak Djokovic defeated 24th seed Jiri Lehecka 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(4) at Rod Laver Arena on the afternoon of January 19 (Vietnam time). Thereby, the Serbian player won a ticket to the quarterfinals of the Australian Open 2025, facing Carlos Alcaraz.
At the same time, this result also helped Djokovic equal Roger Federer's record of reaching the men's singles quarterfinals 15 times at major tournaments on hard courts.
In the match against Lehecka, the 10-time Australian Open champion had a comprehensive performance to easily win after 2 hours and 39 minutes.
Just like in the third round against Tomas Machac, the 37-year-old played solidly from the back to overwhelm Lehecka, especially at key moments. According to Infosys Stats, the Serbian only made 21 unforced errors in the match, compared to 44 for his opponent.
Lehecka played well in the first set but made several errors in the second, giving Djokovic the advantage. He showed that he can still maintain his top form, even at the age of 37.
With this victory, Djokovic will have his first encounter on hard court with Alcaraz at a Grand Slam. The Spanish star defeated Jack Draper 7-5, 6-1 in the fourth round (his opponent retired).
Djokovic currently has a 4-3 head-to-head record against Alcaraz. But Alcaraz has won two of their three major tournament meetings.
