Novak Djokovic survives scare to reach last-8

Adelaide, January 5

Novak Djokovic battled back from 2-5 down in the first set to beat Quentin Halys 7-6(3) 7-6(5) and move into the Adelaide International 1 quarterfinals today. Halys, ranked 64th in the world, has never beaten a top-10 opponent but gave Djokovic a big scare before the former world No. 1 prevailed in two tiebreakers.

Djokovic, who has now won 31 consecutive singles matches in Australia, is preparing for the January 16-29 Australian Open, where he is seeking a record-extending 10th crown. “It was a great performance from my opponent today. I want to congratulate him for great quality and a great fight. Tough luck but he played like a top 10 player today, no doubt,” Djokovic said. — Reuters