Defending champion Novak Djokovic will be bidding to book his spot in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open when he tackles Adrian Mannarino in the fourth round of the competition on Sunday.
Djokovic navigated his way past Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the third round, triumphing in three sets, while Mannarino secured his position at this stage courtesy of a five-set win over Ben Shelton.
Match preview
© Reuters
Djokovic is going to take some stopping in this tournament, as he seeks his 25th Grand Slam title, which would take him ahead of the all-time record held by Margaret Court.
The 36-year-old's best performance of this year's competition came against Etcheverry in the last round, as he ran out a 6-3 6-3 7-6 (7-2) winner to secure his position in the fourth round.
Djokovic was far from his best in the opening two rounds of the tournament, needing four sets to beat Dino Prizmic in his opener before requiring another four-setter with Alexei Popyrin in the second round.
The world number one, who has incredibly now won 92 of his 100 matches in Melbourne, said that it was his "best performance" during this year's tournament, and he was at his clinical best against Etcheverry, who had impressed in his opening two matches at the competition.
Djokovic is seeking his 11th Australian Open title, and he will be the heavy favourite on Sunday, as he goes in search of his fifth straight win over Mannarino.
© Reuters
The 35-year-old, who is ranked number 19 in the world, was involved in a pulsating five-setter with Stanislas Wawrinka in the opening round of this year's tournament.
France's number one then managed to win another five-setter against Jaume Munar in the second round, before edging past Shelton in the third round, again in five sets, so he has played a lot more tennis at the 2024 Australian Open than Djokovic.
Mannarino has never managed to progress past the fourth round of the Australian Open, so he is chasing history in this match, but it could not be a tougher assignment against the dominant force in the men's game.
The Frenchman has actually never managed to advance past the fourth round of a Grand Slam tournament, but he has shown his character in this year's Australian Open, and he has the staying power to match Djokovic if the contest becomes a lengthy affair, which is certainly possible.
Tournament so far
Novak Djokovic:
First round: vs. Dino Prizmic 6-2 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 6-4
Second round: vs. Alexei Popyrin 6-3 4-6 7-6 (7-4) 6-3
Third round: vs. Tomas Martin Etcheverry 6-3 6-3 7-6 (7-2)
Adrian Mannarino:
First round: vs. Stanislas Wawrinka 6-4 3-6 5-7 6-3 6-0
Second round: vs. Jaume Munar 6-3 6-4 1-6 2-6 6-3
Third round: vs. Ben Shelton 7-6 (7-4), 1-6 6-7 (2-7) 6-3 6-4
Head To Head
Wimbledon (2016) - Second round: Djokovic wins 6-4 6-3 7-6 (7-5)
Wimbledon (2017) - Round of 16: Djokovic wins 6-2 7-6 (7-5) 6-4
Queen's Club Championships (2018) - Quarter-final: Djokovic wins 7-5 6-1
Cincinnati Masters (2018) - Round of 32: Djokovic wins 4-6 6-2 6-1
These two players have locked horns on four previous occasions, and all of the matches have been won by Djokovic, with two of those contests taking place at Wimbledon.
Djokovic beat Mannarino in three sets in their opening two encounters at Wimbledon, before the Serbian recorded a 7-5 6-1 win in the quarter-final of their clash at Queen's in 2018.
The pair last met at the Cincinnati Masters in August 2018, with Djokovic dropping a set against Mannarino, but he bounced back to win the next two and progress in the competition.
We say: Djokovic to win in four sets
Mannarino has not exactly shown his best form against Djokovic, and he has limited experience at this stage of Grand Slams, which will count against him, especially facing a player of Djokovic's ilk.
Djokovic has not quite been at his best thus far, and we can see Mannarino winning a set on Sunday, but we are fully expecting the world number one to secure his spot in the next stage of the competition.
