DJOKOVIC DEFIES INJURY TO SECURE WIN, MURRAY TO ENTER THIRD ROUND

Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic defied an injury scare to battle his way into the third round of the Australian Open after securing a win over Enzo Couacaud at the Rod Laver arena on Thursday. The nine-time champion, Novak Djokovic persisted through his pain to oust the Frenchman 6-1, 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-0 despite battling with his bandaged left leg. After dropping the second set tiebreak, Djokovic seemed to be struggling, but he quickly recovered and charged through the remaining three hours and four minutes of the match to seal the thirdround spot. This week, the Serbian is vying for a record-tying 22nd Grand Slam championship, and if he succeeds, he will retake the top spot in the ATP Rankings. But with former World No. 3 Grigor Dimitrov looming in the third round, the 35-yearold will remain focused on the challenge in front of him. Andy Murray produced yet another resilient performance to defeat Thanasi Kokkinakis 4-6, 6-7(4), 7-6(5), 6-3, 7-5 in a five-set marathon to advance into the third round of the Australian Open on Thursday. The tennis star produced a win in consecutive five-set thrillers to beat home favourite Kokkinakis with a comeback in the longest match of his career, which ended just two hours before sunrise in Melbourne. The South Australian gave up 102 winners, including 37 aces, against Murray. For the second time this week, Murray displayed his mental and physical toughness in front of an enthusiastic Australian crowd. In the first round, he defeated Matteo Berrettini in a fiveset thriller that lasted four hours and 52 minutes. Additionally, Murray hasn’t advanced past the third round of the season’s opening major since 2017, and his 4:05 a.m. finish in Melbourne was the latest of his career. At the hard-court major, Murray has played some of his best tennis, making it to the final five times. The 35-year-old, who now has a 51-14 record in Melbourne, hasn’t made it past the third round of a major since 2017 when he made it all the way to Wimbledon’s quarterfinals.