Djokovic survives 5-hour marathon
MELBOURNE, Australia — The opponent was different, and the match was three rounds earlier. Still, the result gave Novak Djokovic a familiar feeling — and another chance to rip off his shirt in celebration.
The top-seeded Djokovic needed just more than five hours to outlast 15th-seeded Stanislas Wawrinka 1-6, 7-5, 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 12-10 in a fourth-round match late Sunday at the Australian Open. He needed nearly six hours to beat Rafael Nadal in the final last year and ripped off his shirt then, too.
‘‘I just had a flashback of 2012,’’ Djokovic said. ‘‘This was maybe 45 minutes less than the one 12 months ago, but it was still as exciting. I tried to enjoy the moment and couldn’t ask for more. What a match point. Unbelievable.’’
Djokovic wasn’t exaggerating about the match point. On his third attempt to end it, his cross-court backhand zipped past the valiant Wawrinka, who, Djokovic conceded, had outplayed him for most of the night.
‘‘He came up with great tactics,’’ said Djokovic, who is looking to become the first men’s player in the Open era (1968-present) to win the tournament three consecutive years. ‘‘He didn’t give me a lot of the same rhythm that I could get into the match. He was the one being in charge.’’
Wawrinka, who had been receiving treatment to his thighs from late in the fourth set on, said he would take more positives than negatives out of the match.
‘‘For sure, I think [it’s] the best match I have ever played,’’ Wawrinka said. ‘‘I fought like a dog, like always. At 4-4 in the final set, I thought I might have won the match, but he was just better.’’
Djokovic will play fifthseeded Tomas Berdych in the quarterfinals. Berdych needed five match points in the third-set tiebreaker before beating Kevin Anderson 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 (15-13).
In women’s fourth-round action late Sunday, fourthseeded Agnieszka Radwanska topped 13th-seeded Ana Ivanovic 6-2, 6-4 and sixthseeded Li Na beat Julia Goerges 7-6 (8-6), 6-1 to advance to the quarterfinals.
In women’s fourth-round action early Monday, topseeded Victoria Azarenka steamrolled Elena Vesnina 6-1, 6-1 and Svetlana Kuznetsova upset 10th-seeded Caroline Wozniacki 6-2, 2-6, 7-5 to reach the quarterfinals.