Novak Djokovic defeated Jaime Faria 6-1 6-7(4) 6-3 6-2 to set a new record, while also booking a place in the third round of the 2025 Australian Open.
The victory helped him overtake Roger Federer for the most singles major matches played in the Open era by reaching 430 in a tough clash with the Portuguese qualifier.
He became the first man over the age of 30 to reach 150 Grand Slam singles wins.
He also improved to 379-51 for his career at major tournaments, a.881 winning percentage to boost his chances of winning his 25th Grand Slam title.
Djokovic expressed his love for the competition, qualifying for the third round of the Australian Open for the 17th time in his career.
He said, “I love this court; I love competition.
“I think I responded well in the third set and particularly the fourth. He was playing lights-out tennis at the end of the second set and the start of the third and I had to weather the storm.
“I told him on the net, ‘The future is bright for you so carry on’.”
Djokovic is targeting his 25th Grand Slam title and his 11th Australian Open title in Melbourne.
He is on course to win his 100th tour-level tournament title, behind only Jimmy Connors’ 109 and Federer’s 103 in the Open era among men.
Djokovic will take on Tomas Machac for a place in the fourth round of the Australian Open.
Carlos Alcaraz breezed past Yoshihito Nishioka 6-0, 6-1, 6-4 to book his place in the next round; Ruud Casper lost to Jakub Mensik 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4.
In the women’s category, Laura Siegemund recorded an upset when she defeated Qinwen Zheng to become the third-oldest player to beat a WTA top-five player at the Australian Open in the past 30 years.
The 36-year-old produced a stunning performance to book her place in the third round in style.
Siegmund also became the first unseeded German woman to defeat a top-five seed at the Australian Open since 2003.
Aryna Sabalenka defeated Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 6-3, 7-5, while Jessica Pegula got the better of Elise Mertens 6-4, 6-2.
