Tennis Australia’s dream quarter-final between Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz remains on track.
Like last year's early test against Croatian Dino Prižmić, Djokovic was subject to a tougher-than-expected examination from 19-year-old American sensation Nishesh Basavareddy.
Prevailing 4-6, 6-3 6-4, 6-2, Djokovic appeared to embrace the adage 'whatever you can do, I can do better' against the Standford University product, who many had compared to Djokovic ahead of his maiden Grand Slam appearance.
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Doing as Djokovic would, Basavareddy took the initiative early which appeared to catch Djokovic off guard.
"I think didn't start really well," conceded the Serbian in press.
"The first set I lost. Kind of had opportunities to come back towards the end of the first. But yeah, I was probably a bit too passive from the back of the court. He was dictating the play."
Like Djokovic, Basavareddy returned well, moved strongly out of the corners on both sides and changed direction with aplomb off the backhand side. The issue for the Californian was that he was trying to beat Djokovic at his own game; something even the most accomplished tennis players rarely achieve.
But this wasn’t merely a case of boy against man. Basavareddy took it to Djokovic and was deep in the contest for the first 90 minutes.
With the 10-time Australian Open winner controlling the centre of the court and Basavareddy covering almost twice as much territory as his opponent, the American was always in danger of petering out.
Leading 2-1 in the second set, Djokovic turned up the pressure on return; stepping in and overwhelming the teenager with brut power. On this occasion, Basavareddy survived, but the dam wall broke when serving at 3-4 as Djokovic literally roared his way to the lead.
"The 4-3 second set, I played a great game. It was a crucial break," Djokovic declared.
One safe hold later, and Djokovic was back in business in his house of pain at one set all.
Impressively, Basavareddy didn’t go lying down, but he was always kept at arm's length as Djokovic broke in the first game of the third and fourth sets.
"I ended the match in a good fashion," said Djokovic.
"I think that it's important. It counts mentally for me, for the rest of the tournament."
With Alcaraz looming in the distance, Djokovic knows he’ll have to dig deep should the draw unfold that way.
"He brings so much energy and intensity on the court," Djokovic said of Alcaraz.
"From that perspective, [he] reminds me a lot of Rafa. Just such a complete player. He can hurt you from anywhere on any court on any surface. He has shown that. His versatility is amazing."
Over on Margaret Court Arena, Alcaraz did his part in keeping the quarter-final showdown alive after defeating Alexander Shevchenko 6-1, 7-5, 6-1.
After an electric start and a 6-1, 3-1 lead, the third-seed and defending Roland Garros and Wimbledon champion endured a second-set slump before winning 10 of the last 11 games to progress to the second-round inside two hours.
Bidding to become the youngest man to win all four Grand Slams, Alcaraz was, unsurprisingly, a class above Shevchenko, although Alcaraz knows he still needs to improve.
Speaking to the press post-match, the Spaniard revealed the recent changes made to his service motion remain a work in progress and are yet to feel natural when stepping up to the baseline.
"I struggled a little bit," he said.
"It is something that I'm still thinking about. A lot of things come to my mind when I'm going to serve. I have to get it natural or as natural as it can.
"I just struggle with the percentage of the first serve. That's something that I want to get higher."
Awaiting Alcaraz in the second-round is Japanese left-hander Yoshihito Nishioka, who defeated Tunisian qualifier Aziz Dougaz.
Alcaraz defeated Nishioka in their only past meeting at Wimbledon in 2022.
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