CROCKED Novak Djokovic was run out of the Australian Open by Korean young gun Hyeon Chung.
Six-time champion Djokovic, broken in body but not in spirit, went down fighting.
But the Serb’s Grand Slam comeback ended in fourth-round defeat thanks to his dodgy right elbow and the brilliance of his opponent.
Chung, winner of the NextGen Finals for players aged 21 and under last November, showed he was ready to play with the big boys with a 7-6 7-5 7-6 victory.
The 21 year old beat the former No 1 at his game, as the pair traded blows in long rallies which sent them scurrying all over the Rod Laver Arena court.
Brave and brilliant though the South Korean was, Djokovic was hampered by the elbow injury which had kept him out of tennis for six months after Wimbledon.
The Serb frequently grimaced in pain and lesser players would have thrown in the towel, especially after fightbacks in the opening two sets ended in him losing them both and he fell a break behind in the third.
But Djokovic showed all the guts of a champion.
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A dink at the net fell agonisingly wide at break point in the seventh game, and it went to another tiebreak.
The Serb recovered from 3-0 down, but hit a forehand long and then fell victim to a Djokovic-like pass by Chung.
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One last wide backhand, and it was all over.
Speaking after his incredible victory, Chung said: “When I’m young, I’m just trying to copy Novak because he’s my idol.
“I can’t believe this. Dreams came true tonight.”
Tennis was the winner in a high quality, compelling match. And Tennys was the winner in the Margaret Court Arena.
That’s not a misprint. Tennys Sandgren, the American No 10, had never won a main draw match at a Grand Slam before this event.
Now the 26 year old from Tennessee (you couldn’t make this up), who is named after his great-grandfather, will meet Chung for a place in the semi finals after a five-set win over No 5 seed Dominic Thiem.
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