Djokovic bounced with 5-set defeat
MELBOURNE, Australia — Three-time defending champion Novak Djokovic has been upset in a dramatic five-setter against Stan Wawrinka in the Australian Open quarterfinals, ending his 25-match winning streak at Melbourne Park.
Wawrinka lost 14 straight head-to-heads to Djokovic before Tuesday night’s 2-6, 6-4, 6-2, 3-6, 9-7 win in four hours on Rod Laver Arena.
Djokovic beat Wawrinka 12-10 in the fifth set in a 5-hour, 2-minute fourth-rounder here last year, and also edged him in five sets in the U.S. Open semifinals.
This time, it was Wawrinka’s turn. He’s into the semifinals at a major for just the second time.
On the women’s side, 19-year-old Canadian Eugenie Bouchard reached the semifinals in her first trip to the Australian Open, beating Ana Ivanovic 7-5, 5-7, 6-2 to set up a showdown with two-time finalist Li Na.
The result means two-time Australian Open finalist Li, who beat Flavia Pennetta 6-2, 6-2 in an earlier quarterfinal featuring two women who’ll turn 32 next month, will have to face a teenager for the third time in the tournament.
The 19-year-old Bouchard, the first Canadian to reach the Australian Open semifinals, played with real composure against former No. 1-ranked Ivanovic, who started the season with a title at Auckland, New Zealand, and produced a major upset to eliminate top-ranked Serena Williams in the fourth round here.
