- No 4 seed in ruthless form during 6-2, 6-1, 6-2 victory
- Injury fears recede in thumping win over home favourite
In the moments before Novak Djokovic stepped out onto Rod Laver Arena on Monday night, as he went through his final warm-up exercises in the tunnel underneath the stadium, the eyes of all onlookers rested firmly on his left thigh. It remained to be seen exactly how his hamstring, still wrapped in layers of tape, would hold up under the strain of three more sets.
Just two hours later, the level that Djokovic exhibited in his domination of home favourite Alex de Minaur made it clear that he remains the heavy favourite to win his 10th Australian Open title. The fourth seed returned to the quarter-finals after a clean, ruthless performance, completely dismantling his opponent, the 22nd seed, 6-2, 6-1, 6-2.