Photographs: Getty Images
Novak Djokovic weathered a gallant challenge from a tenacious Lleyton Hewitt to send the last Australian in the draw packing and make the quarter-finals of the Australian Open on Monday.
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While most at the packed Rod Laver Arena hoped for a boilover, few expected it to materialise but 30-year-old Hewitt rode the crowd's emotion to poach a set off the world number one before going down fighting 6-1, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3.
Djokovic in no mood for sentiment
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Dressed in black and prowling panther-like across the baseline, Djokovic was in no mood for sentiment as he motored through the first two sets.
Coasting at 3-0 up in the third set, Djokovic stumbled on serve to allow the gritty Australian to fight back then take the match to a fourth after the Serb netted on set point.
Djokovic captured the decisive break at 3-2 in the fourth and sealed the match with a booming backhand down the line. The top seed will play David Ferrer in the quarter-finals.
Sharapova battles through after Lisicki scare
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Maria Sharapova hammered her way into the quarter-finals of the Australian Open on Monday but only after some tense moments in a third-set decider when Germany's Sabine Lisicki had her hanging on by her finger nails.
The fourth-seeded Russian had to blunt the powerful ground strokes and blistering service returns of the 14th seeded Lisicki and fought off five break points in the third game of the final set to turn the match her way.
The Russian's confidence grew enough for her to break Lisicki's serve in the sixth game of the set, which essentially sealed the victory and she ran out a 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 winner.
Lisicki is a really solid player: Sharapova
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"She's a really solid player," Sharapova said of Lisicki, who she beat in last year's Wimbledon semi-finals.
"If you play to her strengths, if you give her time that's what she really does best, she gets a good strike on the ball and can hit a good winner from any side of the court.
"But obviously I was trying to create those opportunities where maybe she had to go for a little bit more and force the errors out of her."
Lisicki attacked Sharapova's serve in the third set and held five break points in the third game before Sharapova slammed a forehand winner to hold and screeched a loud "Come On" before she broke Lisicki in the sixth game that gave her the momentum to win.
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