Novak Djokovic was made to earn his victory against Quentin Halys, outlasting the 64th-ranked Frenchman 7-6 (3) 7-6 (5) in their round of 16 clash at the Adelaide International 1.
The Serbian world number five endured a slow start to take the first set in a tiebreaker, and found himself again trailing 5-3 in the second.
However, the 21-time grand slam champion kept his composure, breaking to love and eventually clawing his way to victory.
Another day, another dub 👋#AdelaideTennis pic.twitter.com/YpEj20effz
— ATP Tour (@atptour) January 5, 2023
Djokovic said on atptour.com he was happy to make it past Halys’s challenge.
“It was a great performance from my opponent today and I want to congratulate him for a great fight.
“He played like a Top 10 opponent. He was serving big, hitting his spots and on a fast court like this it’s tough to break, so two two-breaks is a realistic score in today’s match. I’m glad to overcome the challenge.”
The win sets up a thrilling quarter-final encounter with 18th-ranked Canadian Denis Shapovalov, who earlier overcame Roman Safiullin 6-4 6-3.
Meanwhile, America’s Sebastian Korda defeated Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut 6-4 6-4.
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