Novak Djokovic’s bid for a 92nd career title and first in Adelaide since 2007 ramps up a notch on Friday when he locks horns with seventh seed Denis Shapovalov in the quarterfinals.
The two square off under lights on centre court on a day all eight men’s and women’s singles semifinalists will be decided.
It may appear an uphill task for the 18th-ranked Canadian given he has never beaten the Serbian in seven previous attempts, but they have not crossed paths since the 2021 Wimbledon semifinals.
That showdown had the most at stake and arguably produced the highest level between the pair, a battle which the then-No.1 claimed 7-6(3), 7-5, 7-5 before going on to claim his sixth trophy at the All England Club.
Shapovalov revealed in the aftermath the Grand Slam great had consoled him following the tightly contested battle.
“He came up to me in the locker-room,” Shapovalov said. “Told me he knows how difficult it is for me right now but that it’ll all come along.
“He doesn’t have to do it, it’s very nice from him to do it. He isn’t praised enough.”
The pair posted contrasting victories to move into the quarterfinals on Thursday, with Shapovalov finding few obstacles on his way to a 6-3, 6-4 win over Roman Safiullin before Djokovic clawed back a 2-5 deficit to deny Frenchman Quentin Halys 7-6(3), 7-6(5).
“Denis is one of the most complete players out there,” Djokovic said. “He’s got a very dynamic style of tennis, big serve, comes to the net, he’s comfortable playing from the back of the court, great athlete, moves fantastic.
“We haven’t played now for a while, so I’m looking forward to that. Every match now gets tougher and I’m going to be ready for that.”
Women’s second seed Aryna Sabalenka arrived in Australia last year as the world No.2 behind Ash Barty but after a somewhat indifferent year by her standards she closed out the season on a positive, with four straight top-10 victories – including over No.1 Iga Swiatek – to finish runner-up to Caroline Garcia at the WTA Finals.
After narrowly fighting past Liudmila Samsonova in her opening match she will carry a 3-2 record into her clash with Czech lefty Marketa Vondrousova.
Vondrousova continued her steady resurgence after six months out due to a wrist injury mid last year, posting a resounding 6-0, 6-4 win over Kaia Kanepi on Wednesday.
“She’s very tricky player, great feeling on the court, tricky shots and she’s playing unbelievable,” Sabalenka said of Vondrousova. “I just saw her match against Kanepi and I was like ‘wow, that’s going to be tough if I’ll be able to go through this match’. So yeah looking forward to this match.”
Men’s third seed Daniil Medvedev looked more like his old self as he rolled past Serbian world No.29 Miomir Kecmanovic for the loss of just three games on Wednesday.
The former No.1 accepted his results last year did not stack up to the standards he had set in 2021 but said he remained mentally at his peak.
The 26-year-old faces good friend, eighth seed Karen Khachanov, for the chance to meet Djokovic or Shapovalov.
Medvedev has claimed two of three meetings including their most recent in Montreal in 2019 and while Khachanov has not beaten a top-10 opponent in his past 21 attempts, he broke new ground at last year’s US Open, beating Nick Kyrgios to reach his first Grand Slam semifinal.
“I remember when we played I think I was two weeks into the top 10,” Medvedev said. “That was a pretty tense match and I remember playing great. Then I remember going on a streak, making US Open final, won Cincinnati – my first Masters 1000 title.
“I think, yeah, I gained a lot of experience, I won a lot of tournaments. I’m really happy with what I have achieved [since].
“At the same time I always want more and that’s the same for Karen. The last years it was the same [for him]. Maybe he didn’t achieve the result he wanted exactly but not so long ago he made his first semifinal of a Slam.
“Here he’s playing good. He beat Jack Draper pretty easily. It’ll be a great test for both of us to be honest.”
Last-remaining Australian Alexei Popyrin looks to continue his resurgence when he takes on left-handed Japanese player Yoshihito Nishioka for his first semifinal since 2021.
Popyrin backed up the boilover he caused against second seed Felix Auger-Aliassime with a grinding triumph over Marcos Giron, while Nishioka followed up his upset of fifth seed Holger Rune against Mackenzie McDonald.
Women’s top seed Ons Jabeur opened her 2023 account with a straight-sets victory over Romanian Sorana Cirstea on Thursday night and looks to back that up against Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk in the quarterfinals on Friday night.
The Tunisian, who reached Grand Slam finals at the All England Club and Flushing Meadows last year, has never faced the 20-year-old qualifier, who ground out an impressive win against Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina.
Two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka will look to keep a rising Czech 15 years her junior at bay when she meets qualifier Linda Noskova for the first time, while newest member of the top 10, Veronika Kudermetova carries a 1-0 ledger into her showdown with Romanian Irina-Camelia Begu, a straight-sets winner over seventh seed Jelena Ostapenko.
Sixth seed Jannik Sinner ended Thanasi Kokkinakis’ campaign on Thursday night and looks to keep his torch burning as the last remaining seed on the bottom half of the men’s draw. He seeks a second win from as many encounters with American Sebastian Korda.