Djokovic wins with torn muscle against Fritz

Further participation in doubtful; Thiem digs deep to oust Kyrgios

Melbourne: Novak Djokovic’s bid for a ninth Australian Open championship was thrown into doubt after he took a fall during a five-set victory in the third round and said he tore a muscle.

The No. 1-ranked Djokovic said he might not be able to play his next match, scheduled for Sunday against Milos Raonic. Djokovic seemed to be cruising along to a 17th consecutive win against a U.S. opponent when his left foot gave out from under him as he tried to change directions early in the third set Friday night against Taylor Fritz. After slipping on the white “MELBOURNE” lettering at the back of the blue court, Djokovic took a medical timeout for treatment on his side and later was helped more by a trainer.

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Fritz got back into the match but couldn’t pull off the upset as Djokovic eventually played a bit better in the fifth set and won 7-6 (1), 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 6-2. Asked afterward about his status, Djokovic said: “Right now, I know it’s a tear, definitely, of the muscle, so I don’t know if I’ll recover from that.”
The match began with spectators present, but they were forced to leave the stadium a little past 11:30 p.m. because a local Covid-19 lockdown began at midnight. The match ended at nearly 12:30 a.m. No fans will be allowed at the tournament for at least five days.

Meanwhile, No. 3 Dominic Thiem, who won the U.S. Open in September, appeared to be in real trouble against Australia’s Nick Kyrgios in front of a raucous crowd, but came all the way back from a two-set deficit to win 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.

Serena Williams conjured up to beat 19-year-old Anastasia Potapova 7-6 (5), 6-2 despite 25 unforced errors in the first set alone. Williams now plays seventh-seeded Aryna Sabalenka, who matched her best Grand Slam showing by reaching the fourth round with a 6-3, 6-1 win over Ann Li. Three-time Grand Slam title winner Naomi Osaka whipped past O Jabeur 6-3, 6-2.

No. 8 Diego Schwartzman became the highest-seeded man to lose so far, eliminated 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 by Aslan Karatsev. Thiem’s fourth-round opponent is No. 18 Grigor Dimitrov, who advanced when Pablo Carreno Busta retired after losing the first seven games. Karatsev will meet No. 20 Felix Auger-Aliassime, who defeated No. 11 Denis Shapovalov 7-5, 7-5, 6-3 in an all-Canadian matchup.

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