Djokovic ousts Machac in three sets to reach the last 16 of the Australian Open

Novak Djokovic wanted to reassure himself. After dropping a set in his first two rounds against Nishesh Basavareddy and then Jaime Faria, the Serb had to step up his game in the third round.

This time, it was Tomas Machac, ranked 25th on the ATP rankings, who stood in the former world number 1's way.

More consistent in the exchange and more solid on his service games, Djokovic completed the match in three sets (6-1, 6-4, 6-4 in 2h21).

With 28 winners, 20 unforced errors and 5 breaks, the Serb showed a good level of play and once again reached the second week in Melbourne.

In the next round, Djokovic will face another Czech player, Jiri Lehecka, who dominated Benjamin Bonzi in three sets earlier.

The 29th-ranked player in the world didn't have much trouble getting through to the last 16, and this could be the first real test for the man who has won the Australian Open ten times in his career.

This is the 17th time Djokovic has reached the last 16 of the Australian Open.

Since 2007 inclusive, he has reached this stage of the competition every time, with the exception of 2017 when he was beaten in the second round by Denis Istomin.