Novak Djokovic mauls Adrian Mannarino to race into Australian Open quarter-finals

Novak Djokovic described his Australian Open fourth-round match against Adrian Mannarino on Sunday as "cat and mouse" – an analogy that only really fits if Djokovic views himself as a bloodthirsty lion, such was the mauling dished out on Rod Laver Arena.

It took the defending champion a mere one hour and 44 minutes to charge into the quarter-finals with a resounding 6-0, 6-0, 6-3 victory that will no doubt turn the heads of his remaining rivals. As usual, Djokovic is getting better as the tournament progresses, even as he's dealing with physical ailments; he arrived at Melbourne Park with a niggling wrist issue and is now battling an illness.

The viral infection appeared to affect Djokovic, who was coughing and breathing heavily at times during the match. After winning eight straight games, the Serb was tested in a marathon ninth and frequently hunched over between points to catch his breath.

It could have been a sliding doors moment had Mannarino capitalised. Instead, Djokovic did what he often does and slammed that door shut before racing into a two-set lead on his way to the most comfortable of victories.

"The first two sets were some of the best sets I've played in a while," Djokovic, 36, said on court. "I really didn't want to lose that third game in the second set because the tension was building inside the stadium. I just needed to get that one out of the way so I could refocus on what I needed to do to close out the match.

Djokovic, the record 10-time Australian Open champion, was always going to be the heavy favourite against a player he has beaten on all four previous occasions, although at a career-high No 19 in the world, Mannarino has been enjoying a resurgence.

However, the French 19th seed was taught a