WAWRINKA LOSES OUT

Stanislas Wawrinka has been defeated by Novak Djokovic in the fourth round of the Australian Open 2013. Djokovic won the match by 1-6, 7-5, 6-4, 6-7(5), 12-10. This was a mighty close clash. It went on for five hours and 2 minutes.

This was the 16^th match between these two players and Djokovic defeated Wawrinka for the 14^th time. With this victory, Djokovic has reached the quarter finals.

Wawrinka came into the match with all guns blazing. The Swiss no. 2 completely outsmarted Djokovic in the opening set. Djokovic managed to hold his serve in the first game and that remained the only game to be won by him in the set. Wawrinka won the next six games consecutively with three serve breaks and sealed the first set by 6-1.

Wawrinka started brilliantly in the following set as well and at one point of time, he was ahead by 5-2. It seemed that the Swiss player was on his way to win the second set as well, but, that wasn’t the case to be. The World no. 1 made a magnificent comeback and won the next five games on the trot to win the second set by 7-5.

Djokovic kept the momentum going in the third set and started with a serve break in the first game. However, his service was broken in the very next game and he lost the advantage.  The next six games went with the serve and at the end of the 8^th game; the scorecard was showing 4-4. Djokovic got a breakthrough in the ninth game and then, finished off the set by holding his service in the 10^th game.

But, after losing two consecutive sets, Wawrinka raised the standard of his game and played better in the fourth set. Although, he didn’t get any breakthrough but, he held his entire serve to take the set into the tie breaker. Wawrinka held his nerves in the tie breaker and won the fourth set to come back into the match.

Djokovic didn’t have a good start in the final set and he dropped his serve in the first game, but, he levelled the scores by breaking Wawrinka’s service in the 2^nd game. The next 19 games went with the serve. Djokovic got a breakpoint in the 22^nd game and he latched on that opportunity to win the fifth set and end this marathon match.

In the quarter final match, Djokovic will take on Tomas Berdych of Czech Republic.