Daniil Medvedev was forced to dig deep to fight off a charging Filip Krajinovic but came through 6-3 6-3 4-6 3-6 6-0 to extend his winning streak to 17 matches to move into fourth round of the Australian Open.
The frustrated fourth seed forced his coach Gilles Cervara from the otherwise empty stands at Rod Laver Arena with a couple of verbal volleys after dropping his first set of the tournament and going a break down in the fourth.
Krajinovic, who spent his pre-tournament quarantine practising with world number one Novak Djokovic, found success preying on Medvedev's forehand and rode the momentum to send the contest into a fifth set.
A second trip to the toilets did the trick for Medvedev, however, and he broke the Serbian for 2-0 in the decider with a crunching forehand winner before sealing a last-16 date with American Mackenzie McDonald.
The 25-year-old, who had lost his six previous five-setters, joined compatriot Aslan Karatsev in the fourth round after the qualifier manufactured a stunning straight sets upset of Diego Schwartzman on Friday.
With seventh seed Andrey Rublev and Karen Khachanov also in action on Saturday, Russia could end up with an open era record four men in the last 16 of a Grand Slam.
Paris St Germain picked up where they left off following last season’s Champions League triumph as they kicked off their new campaign with an impressive 4-0 win over Atalanta at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday.
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk headed home a last-gasp goal in stoppage time to lead Arne Slot's men to a thrilling 3-2 victory over Atletico Madrid in the opening game of their Champions League campaign on Wednesday at Anfield.
Pakistan delayed their match against the UAE by an hour on Wednesday after considering a withdrawal from the Asia Cup in protest at a match referee whom they say condoned unsportsmanlike behaviour by India at the weekend.
Portuguese club Benfica are set to name Jose Mourinho as its head coach following the sacking of Bruno Lage in the aftermath of their 3-2 Champions League defeat by Qarabag, Portuguese TV station RTP reported on Wednesday.
Celebrating a history-making year in completing the career Grand Slam at Augusta National, Rory McIlroy has confirmed his return to Emirates Golf Club to headline the 2026 Hero Dubai Desert Classic, taking place from January 22–25, 2026.