Wounded 12-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic was sent tumbling out of the Australian Open by Korean giant-killer Hyeon Chung on Monday, but ice-cool Roger Federer roared into the quarterfinals.
The Serb, who was returning from six months out with a right elbow injury, was clearly in pain as his hopes of a seventh Melbourne Park title were extinguished on Rod Laver Arena 7-6(4), 7-5, 7-6(3).
He was keen not to take away from bespectacled Chung’s huge achievement after the 21-year-old followed up his win over fourth seed Alexander Zverev in the last round.
Continued injury trouble
Djokovic said the injuries started troubling him at the end of the first set and a decision on where he goes from here would be made after talking with his medical team.
Chung’s reward is a last-eight clash with unheralded American Tennys Sandgren, who upset Austrian fifth seed Dominic Thiem 6-2, 4-6, 7-6(4), 6-7(7).
The Korean, ranked 58, described Djokovic as “my idol”.
“I can’t believe this, dream’s come true tonight.”
Sandgren was also in a daze, becoming just the second man in the last 20 years since Frenchman Nicolas Escude to make the quarter-finals on his Australian Open debut.
“I don’t know if this is a dream or not,” he said. “I knew I had to come out and play aggressive and take my chances and serve well and thankfully it worked out in the end.”
For a composed Federer, it was business as normal.
The Swiss defending champion swatted aside one-time training partner Marton Fucsovics 6-4, 7-6(3), 6-2 to make the last eight for an incredible 14th time.
World No. 1 Simona Halep eased into the last eight, beating unseeded Naomi Osaka of Japan 6-3, 6-2.
Germany’s Angelique Kerber is the only Grand Slam champion left among the women, and she was given a big fright as she chases her second Melbourne Park crown after beating Serena Williams in 2016.
After crushing Maria Sharapova in the last round, she came up against gritty Taiwanese veteran Hsieh Su-wei.
Bopanna & Roger-Vasselin out
Rohan Bopanna and partner Edouard Roger-Vasselin suffered a major blow as they crashed out, going down against Mate Pavic and Oliver Marach in the second round.
After losing the first set, the Indo-French pair bounced back in the second before they failed to capitalise on it, eventually slumping to a 4-6, 7-6(5), 3-6 defeat.
Divij Sharan and American partner Rajeev Ram also bowed out of the tournament after losing their last-16 clash.
Sharan and Ram failed to take advantage of their good start of the match and lost Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo 6-3, 6-7(4), 4-6 in an exhilarating match.
As a result, India’s challenge at the men’s doubles event of the Australian Open also folded.
