Djokovic edges Wawrinka to reach Aus Open quarters

Serbia’s Novak Djokovic (R) embraces his opponent after victory in his men’s singles match against Switzerland’s Stanislas Wawrinka on the seventh day of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne early January 21, 2013.

MELBOURNE - Novak Djokovic lived on in the fight to defend his Australian Open crown with an extraordinary five-hour, five-set win over Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka to reach the quarter-finals early Monday.

The Serb world number one had to dig deep to see off 15th-seeded Wawrinka’s brave challenge before prevailing 1-6, 7-5, 6-4, 6-7 (5/7), 12-10 in a draining 5hr 2min match that finished at 1:41 am local time.

Djokovic somehow has to regroup for his quarter-final on Tuesday against Czech fifth seed Tomas Berdych.

Wawrinka, the Swiss Davis Cup partner of Roger Federer, produced arguably his finest match to take the three-time Australian Open champion Djokovic to the brink in a desperately-fought 104-minute final set.

Wawrinka had lost his last 10 encounters with Djokovic going back to 2006 but he produced 69 winners and seven service breaks to have the Serb in deep trouble at times during the epic match.

But Djokovic was ultimately able to reach his 15th consecutive Grand Slam quarter-final and take his career five-set record to 18-6.

Wawrinka stunned the world number one with three service breaks to capture the opening set in just 25 minutes.

Djokovic broke Wawrinka’s opening service in the second set but the shocks continued when the top seed was broken for the fourth consecutive service game to level.

The Swiss, serving powerfully, fought off a break point to crucially hold serve in the third game and keep the pressure on Djokovic.

Djokovic, who had trouble keeping his footing during rallies, changed his shoes, but it mattered little as Wawrinka broke serve for the fifth straight time with a ripping backhand.

The Swiss was in the zone at 4-1 and could do little wrong as Djokovic probed for a way back into the match.

But the first chinks appeared when Wawrinka was broken serving for the second set as Djokovic began to get more into the play.

Wawrinka lost his serve for the third time in the set with a netted forehand and Djokovic served out to level the match.

Djokovic played an unbelievable point to break Wawrinka’s first serve of the third set and the Serb celebrated extravagantly on the way back to his courtside chair.

The Swiss broke back in the next game but was broken in the ninth game with a powerful forehand and Djokovic served it out for a two sets to one advantage with the tide turning his way.

But Wawrinka, troubled by groin and hamstring soreness, again rallied and slugged it out with the top seed without a break in serve as the fourth set went to a tiebreaker.

Despite an inferior tiebreak record, the Swiss fought to three set points and sent the match into a fifth set with a titanic 21-shot rally on the third set point to send the Rod Laver Arena crowd into uproar.

Wawrinka edged ahead in the deciding with a break of Djokovic’s opening service, only to give it back in another fiercely contested next game.

Games went with service for the next 19 games until Djokovic finally got a look at match point, and claimed victory on his third match point as Wawrinka fought to the bitter end.

Earlier Sharapova had no such problems as she clocked up her fifth 6-0 set score of the first week and blitzed Kirsten Flipkens 6-1, 6-0 to reach the quarters for the loss of just five games, smashing the tournament record.

Sharapova, the statuesque Russian who clinched the title in 2008, won her first two matches 6-0, 6-0, a double not achieved at a Grand Slam since 1985, and then floored Venus Williams 6-1, 6-3 in the third round.

She beats the event record of eight games lost en route to the last eight, held by Monica Seles and Steffi Graf, and comes close to Mary Pierce’s all-Grand Slam mark of four in reaching the 1994 French Open quarters.

The intensely focused world number two has not given her opponents an inch, in a relentless performance which has given backers of Serena Williams, the tournament favourite, second thoughts.

But the four-time Grand Slam winner said her mind never strayed beyond her next opponent, in this case fellow Russian Ekaterina Makerova, her victim in the quarter-finals on the way to last year’s final.

“It’s not about waiting to see where you are in the semis or finals, it’s about who’s ahead of you,” said Sharapova, a veteran of 38 Grand Slam campaigns at the age of just 25.

However, on Tuesday Sharapova will meet a challenger gunning for revenge in the form of Makarova, who is still smarting from last year’s comprehensive 6-2, 6-3 defeat.

China’s Li Na plays a return during her women’s singles match against Germany’s Julia Goerges on the seventh day of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on January 20, 2013. Defending champion Novak Djokovic was dragged into a rerun of last year’s epic Australian Open final as he edged a gripping five-hour battle with Stanislas Wawrinka in the early hours of Monday.

As China’s Li Na dispatched Germany’s Julia Goerges, Poland’s world number four Agnieszka Radwanska dominated former world number one Ana Ivanovic as she chalked up her 13th win of the nascent season.

Radwanska’s opponent on Tuesday will be Li, the world number six and 2011 French Open champion, who was also impressive in her 7-6 (8/6), 6-1 victory over Goerges as she reached her third Melbourne quarter-final.

“If I had lost the first set it could have been another story,” admitted Li. “I just kept going point by point, not thinking too much.”

In the men’s draw, world number five Ferrer was faultless as he dispatched Japanese number one Kei Nishikori, the 16th seed, 6-2, 6-1, 6-4 to set up an all-Spanish last-eight clash with Nicolas Almagro.

“Today I played one of the best matches of my career at the Australian Open. I’m very happy with my game,” Ferrer said. “It was in three sets, but it was very difficult to beat Nishikori.”

Czech fifth seed Berdych beat South Africa’s Kevin Anderson to put himself into the quarter-final with Djokovic.