MELBOURNE, Australia — Novak Djokovic didn’t get all the breaks against Radek Stepanek on Friday at the Australian Open. The top-ranked Serb, however, remains virtually unbeatable Down Under.
Djokovic beat Stepanek 6-4, 6-3, 7-5 to advance to the fourth round and extend his winning streak to 17 matches at the Australian Open.
Djokovic broke the 34th-ranked Stepanek late in each set, but was troubled at times against a wily veteran who mixed up the tempo with a lot of serve-and-volley and some unorthodox shot-making.
“Absolutely it was great. Great match and great fun," Djokovic said. “It’s always tricky to play Radek. He’s a talented player. Skillful player."
Angelique Kerber survived some nervous moments before fending off American teenager Madison Keys 6-2, 7-5 in their third-round match, then got to blow out the candles on a cake to celebrate her 25th birthday.
Local organizers brought a cake onto the court for Kerber immediately after the match and the crowd at Rod Laver Arena sang “Happy Birthday." She blew out the candles and said thank you to the crowd and to the 17-year-old Keys.
Kerber will next play No. 19 Ekaterina Makarova of Russia, who advanced after a tough 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-4 win over 2007 Wimbledon finalist Marion Bartoli. Fourth-seeded Angieszka Radwanska, meanwhile, won her 12th match in a row with a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Britain’s Heather Watson.
Radwanska will now meet 2008 French Open champion Ana Ivanovic, who beat Jelena Jankovic 7-5, 6-3 in a matchup featuring two Serbians who were both formerly ranked No. 1.
Sixth-seeded Li Na advanced with a 6-4, 6-1 win over No. 27 Sorana Cirstea of Romania and will next play No. 18 Julia Goerges, who prevented an all-China fourth-round encounter by beating Zheng Jie 6-3, 1-6, 7-5 .
Roger Federer has won four Australian Open titles among his 17 majors, and is ordinarily one of the most popular athletes in Australia. The only problem is this: His 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 win over Nikolay Davydenko on Thursday night set Federer on course for a third-round match against Bernard Tomic, the last remaining Australian in the draws.
