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Defending men’s champion Novak Djokovic has snuffed out the nocturnal existence of Marcos Baghdatis at the Australian Open with a four-set victory to advance to the quarter-finals.
In a high-quality match that didn’t begin until after 11pm Sunday and finished at 2:26 Monday morning, Djokovic beat the 2006 finalist 6-1 7-6 (7-1) 6-7 (7-5) 6-2 in three hours, 15 minutes.
The delayed start was because of Jelena Dokic’s epic win on Rod Laver Arena in the previous match.
Baghdatis has become familiar with the Melbourne Park nightshift over the past two years, featuring in a five-set, dawn-welcoming epic with Lleyton Hewitt last year and a third-round encounter last Friday that started after 11.30pm.
The Cypriot appeared to have his head in his pillow and one hand on the snooze button for most of the opening set – Djokovic racing through it in 25 minutes.
Baghdatis woke early in the second to race to a 3-0 lead.
But Djokovic fought back to take the set to a tie-break he won emphatically 7-1.
Djokovic and Baghdatis traded blows throughout the third set to roll into another tie-break, before the world No.97 produced some phenomenal winners when they mattered to win the set and stay alive.
But Djokovic broke Baghdatis’s serve in the opening game of the set and added a second break in the seventh before serving out the fourth round encounter.
“I started in a good rhythm but I knew he was going to come back,” Djokovic said.
“I am happy to win such a tough match.”
Djokovic now faces seventh seed Andy Roddick in the quarter-finals after Roddick swept past Spaniard Tommy Robredo in straight sets on Sunday.
AAP gh/gjw
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