Djokovic, who had won the Australian Open in his previous four attempts, took an early lead and won the first set 6-3.
The Serbian, ranked first in the world, won 6-3, 4-6, 7-6, 6-3 after a difficult confrontation in Melbourne that ended around midnight local time.
Djokovic, who had won the Australian Open in his previous four attempts, took an early lead to win the first set 6-3.
But Popyrin, ranked 43rd in the world, fought back and won the second set 6-4.
The Australian player, who was cheered by the crowd at Rod Laver Arena, won…
It was a valiant effort from the Australian, ranked world No. 40, but it ultimately fell short.
Djokovic then broke his opponent’s serve early in the fourth set before winning 6-3.
However, it was a valiant effort from Popyrin, who can take plenty of positives from his performance, which included saving four match points before eventually succumbing to defeat.
Novak Djokovic beat Aleksei Popyrin in four sets to reach the third round of the Australian Open.