Ex-champ Djokovic in quarters

Caroline Wozniacki also advanced to the Aussie round of 16.

Associated Press

MELBOURNE, Australia

Former champion Novak Djokovic reached the Australian Open quarterfinals for the third straight year, beating Nicolas Almagro 6-3, 6-4, 6-0 on Sunday.

After breaking Almagro’s service in the second game of the final set, Djokovic made an exaggerated roundhouse fist pump at the back of the court, much to the delight of flag-waving Serbian fans in the crowd.

The third-seeded Djokovic, who won the 2008 Australian Open, faces either No. 6 Tomas Berdych or No. 9 Fernando Verdasco in the quarterfinals. He leads Berdych 4-1 and Verdasco 5-4 in previous meetings.

Caroline Wozniacki also moved into the quarterfinals with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Anastasija Sevastova and is just one victory from ensuring she’ll retain the top ranking.

The 20-year-old Dane, playing her first major as world No. 1, reached the quarterfinals at Melbourne Park for the first time. She can keep her top ranking with an appearance in the semis.

She wants more than that, though. She’s aiming for a first Grand Slam title.

The questions about her worthiness of the top ranking are starting to diminish. Asked which player she feared most, she said: “I don’t fear anyone actually.”

“I’m feeling confident. I feel like I can beat anyone on a good day. I think they have to fear me when they’re playing me,” she said. “I just go out there and do my best. If they’re better than me that day, it’s just too good.”

Wozniacki dropped three of the first four games of the match before reeling off six in a row, including a break in the first game of the second set. Sevastova, ranked No. 46, rallied and the pair traded breaks until Wozniacki regained control.

Wozniacki now has reached the quarterfinals at all four majors, and she’s navigated some troublesome ground. According to the WTA, only one of the last five women to be ranked No. 1 went beyond the first round in the first major they played with the top ranking.

Li Na, already China’s most successful player, reached the quarterfinals with a 6-3, 6-3 win over eighth-seeded Victoria Azarenka of Belarus.

The ninth-seeded Li was one of two Chinese players to reach the semifinals at Melbourne Park last year, her run ending with a loss to eventual champion Serena Williams in two tiebreak sets.

While Wozniacki says she’s not scared of any of her fellow players, she did confide that an up-close encounter with a baby kangaroo left her a little scarred.

She saw one of the native marsupials lying in the shade in a park way outside of the city and thought it needed help. She learned her lesson quickly when the wild creature scratched her. Note to Caroline: kangaroos don’t hop around all day.

“I just wanted to help it out. I found out that I shouldn’t do that,” she said. “It scratched me pretty well. That’s why I’m playing with this tape on my shin. It looked so cute.”