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In just over two hours, defending champion, Novak Djokovic, cruised past Diego Schwartzman 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 in his fourth round Australian Open encounter and will now meet Milos Raonic in his upcoming quarter-final clash at the Rod Laver Arena.
Except in the first round, where he lost a set against Jan-Lennard Struff, the Serbian has not dropped a set and already appears to be a firm favourite to win the year's first Grand Slam. Djokovic, who seemed to run out of form and steam towards the back end of 2019, has given us an impression that he is back to his sublime best yet again this year and is unbeaten so far in 2020, after winning the ATP Cup earlier this month and having cruised to the quarter-finals of the Australian Open.
Raonic, who had a horrendous 2019, a year marred with injuries and losses, is once again making noise at the first Grand Slam of the year in the same way he did last year in Melbourne and is yet to drop a set so far at the Australian Open. Having defeated the likes of Stefanos Tsitsipas and Marin Cilic in straight sets in the previous rounds, the 29-year old Canadian seems to have struck a purple patch, but now awaits by far his biggest test at this year’s Australian Open as he takes on the defending champion to secure a spot in the semi-finals.
On the ATP tour, Djokovic is unbeaten against Raonic so far as he maintains a perfect 9-0 record over the 29-year old Canadian. The pair have met twice at the Majors so far, once at the Australian Open in 2015, coincidentally in the quarter-final too and once at Roland Garros in 2014 and Raonic is yet to take a set off Djokovic at the Grand Slam level tournaments.
Against Cilic in his fourth round encounter, Raonic served as many as 35 aces as the Croat simply had no answers to the Canadian’s thunderous serves. In his upcoming quarter-final against the Djokovic, Raonic would look to unleash his lethal weapon of lightning-fast serves against perhaps the best returner of the game as he fancies upsetting the title favourite in a bid to reach his first Grand Slam semi-final since Wimbledon 2016, where he ended the tournament as the runner-up, losing to Andy Murray in the title clash.
On the other hand, Djokovic has been on a roll since the beginning of the ATP Cup and looks simply unstoppable. It would need a monumental effort from Raonic if he fancies eliminating the Serb in their quarter-final clash.
As Raonic approaches his quarter-final clash against Djokovic, he can draw inspiration from Stan Wawrinka’s phenomenal win over the Serb in the quarter-final of the Australian Open in 2014, where he stunned the Serb in five gruelling sets.
Can in-form Raonic, who has been on a roll himself so far at the Australian Open, continue his onslaught to send the defending champion out of the tournament or will Djokovic, unfazed by his opponents or the circumstances, stand his ground to manoeuvre his way to yet another semi-final appearance at his happy hunting ground in Melbourne?
Let the action get underway as Raonic takes on Djokovic in the mouth-watering quarter-final clash at the Rod Laver Arena on day 9 of the Australian Open 2020.
Prediction: Novak Djokovic to win in four sets.
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