MELBOURNE (Reuters) – The Australian Open quarter-finals begin on Tuesday and fans are expected to pack Rod Laver Arena when 10-times champion Novak Djokovic meets Carlos Alcaraz, who is bidding to complete a career Grand Slam.
Women’s top seeds Coco Gauff and defending champion Aryna Sabalenka are also in action while men’s second seed Alexander Zverev completes the lineup at the famous stadium.
TOP MEN’S MATCH: NOVAK DJOKOVIC V CARLOS ALCARAZ
When Djokovic was listed as the seventh seed at Melbourne Park this year, he was on a collision course with Alcaraz when the draw was made and the mouth-watering clash will come to pass as they meet for the eighth time, with the Serbian leading 4-3.
Alcaraz triumphed in straight sets in the Wimbledon final last year but Djokovic took revenge less than a month later when he claimed the Olympic gold medal on the Spaniard’s favourite surface at Roland Garros.
“This is not the right player to play in a quarter-final, I guess,” a smiling Alcaraz said after his fourth-round match was cut short by Jack Draper’s injury retirement.
“He almost broke every record in tennis. I’m trying not to think about that when I’m in the match. I’m just trying (to think) that I’m able to beat him.
“I know my weapons, I know that I’m able to play good tennis against him.”
Djokovic’s aura of invincibility at the Australian Open has seen cracks with the 37-year-old dropping two sets in the early rounds while Alcaraz has come through largely unscathed in shorter matches, dropping just one set.
For Djokovic, Alcaraz is a younger version of his long-time Spanish rival Rafa Nadal, who he beat in the marathon 2012 final lasting five hours and 53 minutes — the longest on record at the Melbourne slam.
“(He) reminds me of my match-ups versus Nadal in terms of the intensity and the energy on the court,” Djokovic said.
“He’s very dynamic, explosive player. Incredibly talented, charismatic player. Great to watch, not that great to play against. I look forward to it.”
TOP WOMEN’S MATCH: COCO GAUFF V PAULA BADOSA
Another player hoping to exact revenge is 11th seed Badosa after the Spaniard was beaten in last year’s Beijing semi-final when Gauff made a stirring comeback to win in three sets en route to the title.
The head-to-head record is split with each player winning three times but Badosa has not beaten Gauff since the 2023 Madrid Open.
“I hope I can have my revenge here. It’s a special match, quarter-finals, centre court, against her. I will get ready for that battle again,” Badosa said.
Like Gauff, Badosa has dropped only one set and the American said she vividly remembers the match in Beijing, highlighting her opponent’s physicality and aggressive play as her strongest traits.
“I honestly don’t know how I got out of that match. She was playing great tennis,” she said.
“She’s a tough opponent. Every time I play her, you know it is going to be a tough match. She’s a great player coming off some great momentum.”
AUSTRALIAN OPEN ORDER OF PLAY ON TUESDAY
Here is the order of play on the main showcourts on the 10th day of the Australian Open (prefix number denotes seeding):
ROD LAVER ARENA
Day session (0030 GMT/1130 AEDT)
3-Coco Gauff (U.S.) v 11-Paula Badosa (Spain)
12-Tommy Paul (U.S.) v 2-Alexander Zverev (Germany)
Night session (0800 GMT/1900 AEDT)
1-Aryna Sabalenka (Belarus) v 27-Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (Russia)
7-Novak Djokovic (Serbia) v 3-Carlos Alcaraz (Spain)
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru, editing by Ed Osmond)
