Djokovic survives grueling Halys encounter in Adelaide to keep undefeated streak alive Down Under

Former World No.1 Novak Djokovic was made to dig deep on Thursday at the Adelaide International I, but managed to prevail in a close battle with Quentin Halys to advance to the quarterfinals.

Djokovic secured a 7-6(3) 7-6(5) victory over his French opponent, who showed little fear of the 21-time Grand Slam champion. Halys struck the first blow by taking an early break, as he raced to a 3-0 lead. However, Djokovic's fighting spirit emerged, as he broke back and forced a tiebreak. The 35-year old had momentum on his side, as he quickly obtained a mini-break before storming away with the opening set.

Not one to be easily deterred, Halys kept up with the Serbian in the second set. The Frenchman matched Djokovic during each service game, but seemed to falter when serving to stay in the match at 4-5. Facing two match points, the 26-year old maintained his composure and saved both points with some impeccable serving. A second tiebreak ensued, where Halys kept up with the World No.5 until Djokovic's brilliant defense saw him obtain the crucial mini-break at 5-5. This was enough for the Serbian to close out the match, escaping with the victory after an hour and 55 minutes.

Djokovic has not lost in Australia since the 2018 Australian Open, and will look to keep his incredible win streak going when he takes on Canadian Denis Shapovalov in the Adelaide quarterfinals.