Djokovic, Federer battle through Australian Open third-round tests

Making a rare appearance in Margaret Court Arena, Novak Djokovic battled into the fourth round of the Australian Open by defeating Andreas Seppi 6-1, 7-5, 7-6(6) on Friday night. Djokovic held all 16 of his service games to advance in two hours and 21 minutes.

Seppi had chances to break at 3-2 in the second set and early in the third, but the underdog Italian could not convert. More opportunities came with Seppi leading 6-4 in the ensuing tiebreaker. Again, however, Djokovic proved to be too tough in pressure-packed situations. The top-seeded Serb fended off two set points and eventually clinched victory with a big serve at 7-6.

“It’s my subjective feeling that Margaret Court is [playing] slightly slower than Rod Laver Arena,” Djokovic assessed. “But nevertheless the ball bounces low. It’s pretty good for a type of player like Andreas Seppi, who plays very flat and very solid from both corners of the baseline with a lot of depth. I think I served my way out of trouble several times. But certainly I must be pleased with a straight-set win because both sets–especially the third–could have gone a different way.”

Djokovic-Seppi highlights:

Earlier in the evening, Roger Federer was extended to four sets by Grigor Dimitrov before getting the job done 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4. Federer cracked 13 aces to prevail after two hours and 50 minutes. By doing so, the the world No. 3 earned the 300th Grand Slam match win of his career.

“It’s very exciting, I must tell you,” Federer said of No. 300. “Like when I reached 1,000 (overall wins) last year, it was a big deal for me. Not something I ever aimed for or looked for, but when it happens, it’s very special. Yeah, you look deeper into it, I guess, where it’s all happened and how. Yeah, so it’s very nice. I’m very happy.”

Federer-Dimitrov highlights:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PAZvC2CmpM

Joining Federer and Djokovic in the fourth round were Kei Nishikori, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, David Goffin, Gilles Simon, Tomas Berdych, and Roberto Bautista Agut. The only upset on Day 5 saw Bautista Agut topple 2014 U.S. Open champion Marin Cilic in straight sets.

Next up for Federer is Goffin.

“We’ll see now how the conditions are the next round because Goffin can play very, very, well,” Federer noted. “Got a lot of respect for him. Know him well. I think the conditions are definitely going to help or not help, depending on what it’s going to be like.”

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