Novak Djokovic vs. Quentin Halys: Score and Reaction from 2016 Australian Open
Novak Djokovic continued his quest toward 2016 Australian Open glory on Wednesday, as he overcame teenager Quentin Halys in straight sets, 6-1, 6-2, 7-6 (3).
The top seed and world No. 1 was well on top throughout the opening two sets as the 19-year-old Halys—playing in just his fourth Grand Slam match— struggled to settle. He did eventually trouble Djokovic in the final set and provided glimpses of his potential, but the eventual outcome was always inevitable.
Victory advances Djokovic into the third round, as he seeks to retain the title he won 12 months ago. There he’ll face 28th seed Andreas Seppi after his win over Denis Kudla of the United States.
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The task facing Frenchman Halys, ranked 189th in the world, became apparent very early on, as the world No. 1 got stuck into his opponent’s serve at the first opportunity. And while Halys was able to save three break points in his first service game, in the second, he was powerless to prevent Djokovic moving into a 3-1 lead.
From there, the top seed, who is chasing what would be a sixth Australian Open title, powered to the opening set. On serve he was imperious, and up against a noticeably nervy 19-year-old rattled off five games in a row to take the opener 6-1.
As noted by Bet 365, the 13-time Grand Slam champion is in unstoppable form:
It was a rhythm Djokovic carried into another lopsided stanza, as he sought to put the match well beyond Halys.
Again, he gave his opponent no time to settle on serve, carving out a break point in the first game of the second set and immediately giving the Frenchman a mountain to climb. While the youngster did manage to eventually get a game on the board following Djokovic’s seventh in a row, there was a clear chasm in class as the two traded shots.
Eventually, Djokovic was able to break Halys again to secure a two-set lead. Tom Perrotta of the Wall Street Journal provided a key statistic from the second set:
Credit must go to Halys for his efforts in the third, though. Perhaps knowing he had little to lose at this juncture, the youngster came out swinging hard at the ball.
It was a bold approach that seemed to catch Djokovic off guard and, in the second game of the third, the teenager was able to break his illustrious opponent and move 2-1 up. Sadly for him, Halys was not able to consolidate that brilliant start, as the champion broke straight back.
From there, the third set remained on serve. Sports writer Andrew Jerell Jones paid tribute to the efforts of Halys, as he forced Djokovic into a tiebreaker:
"Allez for Halys, showing that junior potential that matured towards the end of that tenure for him in this 3rd set.Him & Fritz, fine showing
— Andrew Jerell Jones (@sluggahjells) January 20, 2016"
It was a step too far, though, as Djokovic's experience came to the fore. The champion was able to up the ante a fraction, putting his opponent under more pressure and eventually clinching it 7-3.
As we can see here, even in the final stages of the match, the youngster was doing his utmost to cling on:
It was a result which continued Djokovic's remarkable dominance in the opening weeks of Grand Slam tournaments, as we can see courtesy of Bet 365:
Djokovic did seem to let some focus waiver in the latter stages of this one and for some, that may show signs of weakness. With some gruelling matches inevitably on the horizon, it was little surprise he shut down a little with the match essentially wrapped up.
This is a tournament the reigning champion loves, having won in Melbourne for four of the last five years. At the moment, it’s tough to isolate a player in the draw capable of beating Djokovic, meaning we could well be looking at only the second man in history to have triumphed six times at the Grand Slam Down Under.
Post-Match Reaction
Djokovic had kind words for his opponent at the end of the contest, per the tournament's official website:
"Yes, I think I played a good match,” Djokovic said. “Third set was a close set. Was a battle. Credit to him for fighting, for serving well. He deserved the credit and applause in the end of the match for a fight."
Halys came off the court in bullish mood, revealing he aims to gain revenge in the future: "For me it was a very, very good experience,” said the 19-year-old, per the aforementioned piece. “The fans were incredible and I can learn a lot from this match. I played my best tennis in the third set. I want to look at this match and work hard with my coach to keep improving and try to beat him one day."
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