Novak Djokovic struck back for the old guard at the Australian Open on Monday, soaking up the pressure from an impressive Daniil Medvedev before crushing the young Russian 6-4, 6-7, 6-2, 6-3 to reach his 10th quarter-final at Melbourne Park.
The night after Roger Federer was stunned by Greek tyro Stefanos Tsitsipas, there was another sniff of an upset at Rod Laver Arena as Medvedev, 22, rocked the Serb with a furious assault of power hitting.
Yet the Russian wearied in the constant attrition, and top seed Djokovic ended up cruising to victory, having passed easily his biggest test at what had been a sweat-free tournament.
The world No 1 will continue his bid for a hat-trick of grand slam titles and a record seventh at Melbourne Park against eighth seed Kei Nishikori, who earlier squeezed past Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta in a five-set epic.
"Since I guess my next opponent is watching, I'm feeling fanstastic, never felt better in my life," Djokovic, 31, joked in his on-court interview with Jim Courier. "I was hoping you were going to say the other guy won, but well done, Kei.
"[It was] definitely a physical battle," the Serb added of his match. "It was difficult go through him ... this kind of match you just have to hang in there."
Federer's exit on Sunday has been widely touted as a changing of the guard and Tsitsipas's victory an inspiration for the Tour's upstarts.
Fifteenth seed Medvedev was certainly up to continue the theme and it took a lunging backhand drop-shot from Djokovic to save a break point in the fifth game.
The rangy Russian fought back from a break down but double-faulted to give up a set point and Djokovic sealed it with a forehand winner down the line.
A red-faced Medvedev trudged to his seat to munch darkly on a banana but did not spend too long chewing on the setback.
He bravely fought off five break points in the second game of the second set and broke back to 4-3 after a breathtaking rally, scrambling back and forth to retrieve drop-shots and lobs before passing the Serb.
It was Djokovic's turn to fume, and he wound up to smash his racket into the court before stopping himself.
There was no shaking the Russian, who edged an epic 42-shot rally and raced to a 4-1 lead in the tiebreak. The Serb was rattled, and he bungled a drop-shot to give Medvedev two set points before finding the net to square the high-quality contest.
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Read more:
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Maria Sharapova refuses to give up grand slam ambitions after making exit
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Djokovic needed cheap points but there were none on offer, and he took a tumble at the net on serve at 2-1, drawing a gasp from the crowd.
But after dusting himself off and saving three break points from 0-40 down, the Serb was revived.
After taking Medvedev down in another marathon rally, Djokovic broke in the fifth game and the Russian suddenly appeared spent.
Nothing fires Djokovic like the smell of blood, and he went after Medvedev mercilessly, roaring through the set and breaking again to lead the final stanza 3-1.
Though dragging his feet between points, Medvedev snuck a break point at 3-2 but saw it disappear with a searing Djokovic forehand.
From there, the Serb kept him at arm's length before closing out the match with a string of clean winners.
In other results, Lucas Pouille overcame Borna Coric 6-7, 6-4, 7-5, 7-6 to advance to the quarter-finals for the first time. He will face Milos Raonic, who beat Alexander Zverev 6-1, 6-1, 7-6.
Naomi Osaka edged past Anastasija Sevastova 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 to set up a quarter-final clash with Elina Svitolina, who beat American Madison Keys 6-2, 1-6, 6-1.
Karolina Pliskova thrashed two-time grand slam champion Garbine Muguruza 6-3, 6-1.
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
More on Quran memorisation:
EU Russia
The EU imports 90 per cent of the natural gas used to generate electricity, heat homes and supply industry, with Russia supplying almost 40 per cent of EU gas and a quarter of its oil.
What are the main cyber security threats?
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Cyber warfare - Shaped by geopolitical tension, hostile actors seek to infiltrate and compromise national infrastructure, using one country’s systems as a springboard to launch attacks on others.
Tips from the expert
Dobromir Radichkov, chief data officer at dubizzle and Bayut, offers a few tips for UAE residents looking to earn some cash from pre-loved items.
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Picture of Joumblatt and Hariri breaking bread sets Twitter alight
Mr Joumblatt’s pessimism regarding the Lebanese political situation didn’t stop him from enjoying a cheerful dinner on Tuesday with several politicians including Mr Hariri.
Caretaker Culture Minister Ghattas Khoury tweeted a picture of the group sitting around a table at a discrete fish restaurant in Beirut’s upscale Sodeco area.
Mr Joumblatt told The National that the fish served at Kelly’s Fish lounge had been very good.
“They really enjoyed their time”, remembers the restaurant owner. “Mr Hariri was taking selfies with everybody”.
Mr Hariri and Mr Joumblatt often have dinner together to discuss recent political developments.
Mr Joumblatt was a close ally of Mr Hariri’s assassinated father, former prime minister Rafik Hariri. The pair were leading figures in the political grouping against the 15-year Syrian occupation of Lebanon that ended after mass protests in 2005 in the wake of Rafik Hariri’s murder. After the younger Hariri took over his father’s mantle in 2004, the relationship with Mr Joumblatt endured.
However, the pair have not always been so close. In the run-up to the election last year, Messrs Hariri and Joumblatt went months without speaking over an argument regarding the new proportional electoral law to be used for the first time. Mr Joumblatt worried that a proportional system, which Mr Hariri backed, would see the influence of his small sect diminished.
With so much of Lebanese politics agreed in late-night meetings behind closed doors, the media and pundits put significant weight on how regularly, where and with who senior politicians meet.
In the picture, alongside Messrs Khoury and Hariri were Mr Joumbatt and his wife Nora, PSP politician Wael Abou Faour and Egyptian ambassador to Lebanon Nazih el Nagari.
The picture of the dinner led to a flurry of excitement on Twitter that it signified an imminent government formation. “God willing, white smoke will rise soon and Walid Beik [a nickname for Walid Joumblatt] will accept to give up the minister of industry”, one user replied to the tweet. “Blessings to you…We would like you to form a cabinet”, wrote another.
The next few days will be crucial in determining whether these wishes come true.
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Vinicius Junior (71') Mariano (90 2')
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Expert advice
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Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
