Chung sends Djokovic out of Australian Open
Melbourne, Jan. 22: Wounded 12-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic was sent tumbling out of the Australian Open by Korean giant-killer Chung Hyeon on Monday, but ice-cool Roger Federer roared into the quarter-finals.
The Serb, who was returning from six months out with a right elbow injury, was clearly in pain as his hopes of a seventh Melbourne Park title were extinguished on Rod Laver Arena 7-6 (7/4), 7-5, 7-6 (7/3).
He was keen not to take away from the glasses-wearing Chung’s huge achievement after the 21-year-old followed up his win over fourth seed Alexander Zverev in the last round.
“Congratulations. Amazing,” said Djokovic, who also had an apparent hip or groin problem, screeching at times when stretching for the ball.
“He was the better player on court today and he deserved to win.”
Djokovic said the injuries started troubling him at the end of the first set and a decision on where he goes from here would be made after talking with his medical team.
Chung’s reward is a last-eight clash with unheralded American Tennys Sandgren, who upset Austrian fifth seed Dominic Thiem 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-7 (7/9).
The Korean, ranked 58, described Djokovic as “my idol”. “I can’t believe this, dream’s come true tonight.”
Sandgren was also in a daze, becoming just the second man in the last 20 years since Frenchman Nicolas Escude to make the quarter-finals on his Australian Open debut.
For a composed Federer, it was business as normal.
The Swiss defending champion swatted aside one-time training partner Marton Fucsovics 6-4, 76 (7/3), 6-2 to make the last eight for an incredible 14th time.
He will now play fellow veteran Tomas Berdych, a semi-finalist in 2014 and 2015, who demolished Italy’s Fabio Fognini 6-1, 64, 6-4.
Meanwhile, World number one Simona Halep eased into the last eight 6-3, 6-2 over unseeded Naomi Osaka of Japan. —